Clue: Trapped in the Game
by inkl0v3
Summary: six teenagers get trapped in the clue mansion and have to figure out it's secrets before their past comes back to haunt them. Set in modern times.
1. the mansion

**Clue: Trapped in the Game**

A/N: I, for one, love clue (the movie and the game). Basically, this story is set during present time and involves the great-grandchildren of the original clue characters. They get trapped in Mr. Boddy's mansion and have to find a way out before the past comes back to haunt them. Original characters belong to Hasbro (originally Waddingtons and Parker brothers). My characters are Heather Milton, David Mustard, Peter Plum, Madison Bradford-Green, Jackson Peacock, Alex White, and Alfred Black. I hope you like! P.S. Somewhere in the chapter there will be a flashback to the actual night of the murder, so that's why a section of this story is written in italics.

* * *

It was the beginning of October when it turned cold. The leaves on the trees withered and eventually flew away in the hollow wind that made everything seem darker. Everything in Raven Brook was losing the charm of summer, slowly trading in warm days for short sunsets.

There was an old stone bridge by my house that went over a small creek, and I loved to go there after school to listen to music or draw in my sketch book. Usually no one else was there, but today as I walked through the tall drifts of dead leaves I saw someone already there.

"Peter Plum," I sighed "What are you doing here?"

"Well, Madison, if you really want to know, I was looking for you." He stood. I came over to him, studying his hair the color of dark chocolate. It was usually messy, as if he never combed it; today was no exception. His eyes were dark also, as black as coffee or midnight. He was slightly tan, but only from his summer job as lifeguard at Raven Brook's public pool.

"Well, you found me." I told him, leaning against the rock wall of the bridge. "What do you need?"

"Well, really I'm just here because Heather wanted to ask you something, but she was busy so she asked if I could." He explained, tossing leaves into the water that ran under the bridge.

"What did she need to ask me?" I asked him.

"I don't know, I can't remember." He smirked, standing back up. He turned to look at me, and I saw a mischievous glint in his eye. I stared at him with a puzzled look, wondering what he was doing here.

Then, he grabbed my green messenger bag, laughing as I shouted out in surprise. He played keep away from me before taking off for the woods that were on the other side of the bridge.

"Peter! Peter, give me my bag back!" I yelled after him, trying to chase him through the underbrush and overgrown trail that wound through the ancient forest. He just laughed harder, running faster and farther away.

I tried to keep up with him, tried to keep his red sweatshirt in sight through the tree branches. Then, suddenly, he stopped and I ran right into him, knocking us over. We tumbled forward through leaves and twigs, landing in a pile outside a wrought-iron gate.

I was laughing, but Peter just stared forward at something. He got up, brushing himself off, as I stood. Walking towards the gate, my laughter disappeared. I neared the tall, black gate that was topped with spiked fleur-de-lis tensely. Grabbing onto the bars of the cold gate, I put my face in the space between them to look through at the other side.

There was an old mansion inside the gate, hiding behind overgrown trees. It was made out of huge gray stones and boulders on the bottom, but was constructed out of wood above that. It used to be painted a purple color, but the paint had long since faded and chipped away, revealing the rotten wood beneath. Plenty of ambitious ivy vines had covered part of the house, shielding the wood from the sun.

The mansion itself was about three stories tall, but there was a tower on one side that jutted above the rest of the roof. The roof housed various statues that looked like angels at first, but after a closer look I shuddered to see that they were gargoyles. I turned my head to look at peter, who was gazing at the creepy house as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Peter," I tried to get his attention, "What is it?"

"That…that mansion, it looks familiar." He whispered. I looked one last time at the scary place before turning and grabbing my bag from Peter.

"Come on, let's go back. This place creeps me out." I shivered. Peter nodded, turning and following. I pretended that I didn't see him glance back at the house a few times as we trudged back through the forest. When we reached the stone bridge again, the rest of our friends were there standing around. They glanced at us as we approached.

"Peter, where'd you go? We sent you to tell Madison to meet us here. Hey, what's the matter? You guys look freaked out." David asked us. His scruffy, light brown hair was the color of amber or honey and his eyes were the brown of tree bark. He was the tallest of the group, and also the leader.

"There's this…old, scary house back there." I panted, gesturing behind us. Heather stood on her toes, looking over my shoulder into the thick woods, as if she'd be able to see it.

"This is going to sound crazy guys, but it seemed familiar, as if I'd seen it before." Peter told them, still seeming quiet and fearful.

"Well I want to go see it." David said, starting to walk towards the far end of the bridge. He stopped and turned back towards us when he realized that no one was following him. "Well, aren't you going to show us where it is?"

"No way man," Peter panted, "I don't want to go back there."

"Madison?" David asked turned to me. I shook my head.

"I'll go with you," Alex offered, joining David at the foot of the bridge. Her black hair was cropped short and her hazel eyes were quick-witted and full of knowledge. She had a striped scarf wrapped around her neck and a brown coat whose sleeves were too long for her petite arms.

"Me too, I'm curious." Heather joined them, her golden brown hair falling below her shoulders in soft curls. She had brown eyes, like one a puppy would have. Needless to say, she was a total guy magnet at school.

The small group headed off into the forest, disappearing behind the trees. I sighed, my dark hair falling into my eyes as I turned to Jackson and Peter. Jackson had these big, innocent blue eyes that made him look younger than he actually was. His bushy hair was a golden blonde color and always hung down in his face messily.

"Well, I guess it's just us now." I shrugged, sitting down to wait. Closing my eyes, I couldn't get the mansion out of my mind.

* * *

I trudged through the woods, my boots crunching in the carpet of dead leaves. Heather stood close to me, her breath hanging on the air because of the cold. Alex was almost three feet ahead of us, fearlessly leading the way. I sometimes think that she's braver than me.

It wasn't long before we had reached a rusted wrought iron gate, taller than me. We all pressed against it, peering through in curiosity. You could barely make out a tall, mysterious mansion through the dead trees, shrouded in ivy and fungus.

"Wow…they weren't kidding about this place being creepy." I breathed, Heather nodding in agreement.

Then, something metallic banged against the fence in front of us. We all jumped and fell over, screaming in surprise. An old, wrinkled man was glaring at us, one of his ice blue eyes milky from a long scar that ran along the right side of his face. He held a shovel, holding it as if he were about to swing it at us again.

"You're not supposed to be here." He muttered. I picked myself off of the ground, still frightened.

"We're sorry, we didn't mean…" I tried to apologize.

"Leave. Now." He ordered us, staring at us in an unnerving way. I didn't argue with him, and only Alex was able to keep his stare as we started to quickly head back the way we came.

"Well…" Heather muttered as we neared the bridge, "I can see why they didn't want to go back."

"Yeah…" I whispered, agreeing with her, yet at the same time finding something…mysterious about the house that made me want to go back again and figure it out.

* * *

"Now I remember where I've seen that house before," Peter told us as he rummaged through an old chest in his attic. We were all huddled around each other, cups of hot chocolate in hand. "We used to have all the old photos downstairs when I was little and I remember looking at them." He explained, pulling out an old cardboard box.

A cloud of dust escaped as he opened the lid, causing most of us to cough. Peter waved his hand around, trying to clear the dust from the air, before turning the box over and letting its contents fall on the floor. Everyone leaned in towards the pile of old photographs that were scattered along the ground.

It seemed to get quiet as everyone gathered up a few photos, letting their eyes study them. I reached for one of a lady; her black hair cut in a short bob and held in place with silver pins. Her neck was slender and arched gracefully in the contrast of the picture. Her head was lifted up, her eyes studying something out of frame. Her lips held a soft smile, her eyelashes low as if she were shy, but there was a feel about her that made her seem rebellious and mysterious.

"Who's this?" I asked, my voice softened as I held the old photo gently between my fingers. Peter looked over at it, his thick eyebrows furrowing.

"I think it says on the back, but I can't remember." He shrugged. I flipped it over, finding graceful cursive letters on the bottom of the picture.

"Miss Evelyne Scarlet, 24th May, 1925." I read, transfixed by the beauty of the old sepia portrait.

"Here's the one I was looking for!" Peter called over to us. We abandoned our pictures and once again crowded around Peter. He was holding a large black-and-white photograph, slightly blurry, of an elegant mansion. You could see people gathered around outside, all standing around one man who seemed young, yet stood with an air of importance. His dark hair and even darker eyes seemed to stare out at us from the picture, studying us like we were studying him.

"It says on the back that the mansion was built for Reginald Boddy in 1907 when he was 32, and that he was a praised philanthropist. The people in the picture are some of his friends he had over for the house-warming party. The one next to him is Colonel Mustard, and that one is Frank Scarlet (his business partner), and the lady is Mrs. Elizabeth Peacock." Peter pointed out to us.

All of a sudden, a shiver rippled through my body.

"What is it Heather? What's the matter?" David asked, touching my arm. I shook my head.

"I-I don't know. I feel like…like I've seen that house before, before today…but that's impossible!" I told them, still staring at the antique photo.

* * *

_The young lady studied the envelope for a long time, wondering if it was really what she thought it was. Then, in one __quick movement, she opened it with her red fingernail, letting the envelope fall to the floor. She held a blood-red letter, the black cursive letters telling her who it was. __Running__ her brown eyes down the page, she read aloud._

_"Dear Miss Evelyne Scarlet, you are cordially invited to attend a dinner party at the estate of Mr. Reginald Boddy on the evening of 15__th__ June at 7:30 PM. Please wear appropriate attire for we will be discussing my will later in the evening. I hope you will be able to attend but if not, then please contact me before 10__th__ June. I shall be seeing you soon, signed Mr. Boddy." _

_As she was sighing, another invite had arrived at the home of one lonely young man across town. He was fitfully trying to open it with a letter opener, managing to ruin the envelope completely. Finally, he __clumsily __retrieved a dark violet envelop__e with the same scrawling hand__writing. It said the same, only replacing __the 'Miss Evelyne Scarlet' for 'Professor Peter Plum__'. He took off his glasses, staring at his __carpet as he thought. Within a minute he had forgotten completely about the party and was thinking up ways that would help clarify the frequency of radios__ (or something equally confusing)_

_Another letter, this time emerald__ and addresses to Mr. Jonathan Green, was being read by a man __whose__ dark brow was creased from anger and deceit.__ He was muttering to himself as he read, a habit that had started when he had started his business many years ago._

_One like __his letter (only royal blue in color__) was__ being thought__over__in a small sitting room __by Mrs. Elizabeth Peacock, who was having some peppermint tea before her bedtime of precisely 9:00. __She was trying to already perfectly plan out how to get ready for the party, even though it was still almost three weeks away._

_A__nd another one, colored a burnt__ yellow, was sitting on the desk of Colonel Michael Mustard's study, yet he was too busy practicing his hunting skills with a friend who was in possession of a piece of land that held big game. Sometimes it was months before Col. Mustard himself had time for such boring and trivial tasks as answering letters and worrying about dinner parties._

_The only one whose letter wasn't delivered in an envelope was Mrs. Blanche White, who had gotten a white letter pushed under her bedroom door__ as she was putting on her nightgown__. She read it with a sour expression, knowing that there was no way she could refuse her employer __or __his meaningless __entertainment. Sighing, she tossed the letter onto her bureau, walking over to her closet to find an appropriate gown for the event._

_Six letters, all saying the__ same thing to six very different people. They all had different reactions, as Mr. Boddy knew they would. He had been planning this night for a long time, and it was almost upon him now. All he had to do was wait…if the waiting wouldn't kill him he knew one of them would._

* * *

A/N: I made Miss Scarlet a flapper, which I thought was appropriate for the era the game is set in. I'm going to have fun with these flashbacks, although I don't know why I don't use third-person POV more often. Oh well, I'll have to get busy on the next chapter. If you liked it, review or tell someone else to read it!


	2. breaking and entering

**Chapter two**

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the last chapter because this chapter is going to be pretty much the same, basically setting up the action. But don't worry! This is the end of the boring chapters because after this one they're inside the mansion and…I should stop before I tell you the whole plot. As you probably know, I don't own clue (Hasbro does), but I do own the six main characters and the creepy gardener guy. Read and review!

* * *

I sighed, rolling over in my bed and snapping my desk lamp on. The crickets outside were dying down, losing their volume because of the cold. I glanced at my alarm clock and saw that it was close to two in the morning. Exhaling slowly, I eyed my phone.

Finally, I picked it up and dialed Peter's number. He picked up within the first ring.

"Hello?" he answered, not sounding the least bit like he had been asleep.

"Hey Peter," I greeted him.

"Madison? What are you doing up?" he asked. I could tell that he had been thinking about something and my voice had woken him out of his train of thought.

"The same thing as you…thinking about the house." I told him, sitting up.

"Alright, you caught me. It's just…ever since I saw it, I can't stop thinking about it."

"Me too, and I was talking to Heather and she said that it's been the same with her and David. We have to go back." I told him.

"I know, I was just trying to figure something out when you called me." He sighed.

"Got anything?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I think I do." He replied distractedly.

* * *

We were all crowded in Alex's bedroom, leaning in towards the middle of our circle to see the piece of paper she had brought in.

"Alright, here's what Peter and I came up with." She told us, unrolling the paper out on the floor. I tried to get a glimpse of it over Heather's head, but she was taller than me.

"Tomorrow night, Friday, we'll meet in front of the mansion on Troy Road around six. Upon inspection, we'll find a way inside the gate. David-bring your dad's toolbox." She explained as she pointed on the paper, which turned out to be an old map or blueprint of the house.

"Hey… where'd you get the map?" I asked.

"I found it in my attic, Jackson." Peter answered. I nodded, feeling Alex stare at me. I knew better than to interrupt Alex in the middle of her explaining something.

"Anyway…" She continued, returning to the map, "Once we get inside the gate, we'll explore the grounds to make sure that that freaky gardener isn't there again."

"Um…" Madison raised her hand. "What do we do if he _is _there?" she asked.

"We'll just act like we got lost or something." She told her. "If all else fails,_ run_. Now, once we're sure that it's safe we'll make our way inside the house. Depending on how dark it is, we'll need to find flashlights and candles before we explore the mansion." She moved her finger to the interior of the house on the map.

"Sorry but, why are we going to explore this scary and potentially dangerous house at night?" I asked. Alex turned to me again. I faltered. "M-ma'am."

"Because it's on all of our minds! We don't know why, but none of us can forget it. That's why we're going there to figure out what it is that this mansion has to do with us. Besides, it'll be more fun to explore it at night. Any more questions?" she asked me. I shook my head.

"We need to get ready for tomorrow night." Peter pointed out. "Everyone will need to bring something for light, either matches or a flashlight. Also, we'll need to bring stuff to eat. We're going to have to tell our parents that we're going to a party or something." He explained, starting to stand up.

"You mean-_lie?_" I asked. Everyone turned to me, staring.

"Yes Jackson, we're going to have to lie. What, have you never lied to your parents before?" Heather rolled her eyes.

"No-I mean, I have, just…not like this. This, this just doesn't feel right. It feels like this is wrong, like something bad is going to happen." I explained, looking towards the ground.

"Look, we have to do this; otherwise it'll bother us forever!" Alex said, standing up. Everyone started to leave, but I still couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen.

* * *

_The young lady glanced out the window of her father's Model T, staring at the lights of the unbelievably huge mansion in front of her. There was a dry breeze that blew through the trees, making a ghastly sound. She shivered despite the warm weather. Something to her felt out of place._

_But the thought was forgotten as the car stopped and the driver helped her out, handing her clutch to her. She smiled at the old man before being greeted by a jovial man at the door._

_"Ah! Miss Scarlet, so nice of you to come! I suppose you don't remember me…" He reached out for her hand as she appro__ached him in the doorway. _

_"Mr. Boddy!" she cried, rushing over and throwing herself on him in a hug. He paused, surprised, but then laughed as she got back on her feet. "Oh Mr. Boddy, it has been too long. You do not __think that just because of my father's recent death that I would forget one of his favorite business partners?"_

_"No, no of course not! Well then, come inside and join us, for Mrs. Peacock and Mr. Green a__re already inside __in the lounge." He led her inside. A cloud passed over her happy face at the mention of Mr. Green, but it was unseen by her cheerful host._

_The two entered the lounge to find Mrs. White serving __iced tea__ to the two guests that Mr. Boddy had already mentioned. His face brightened when he saw her._

_"Oh Mrs. White! I didn't know that you had come downstairs yet. __I'm so glad that you've joined our early guests." He greeted her as he took__ up his own glass__. She smiled tightly at him, turning her back as she handed Mrs. Peacock her drink. _

_Mrs. Peacock was a pompous woman who always criticized others for thei__r atrocious behavior or etiquette, yet still enjoyed flirting shamelessly with all sorts of eligible men. Some say that she would never marry again after her husband's death, but then there were those who kept their fingers crossed._

_"Really Mr. Boddy, you have outdone yourself with this wonderful party. I mean, I'm having a keen time and it hasn't really started yet." She told her host dramatically, waving her glass around as she laughed. Scarlet took a seat on the couch, avoiding Mr. Green's glance._

_"Don't you agree with me Jonathan?" Mrs. Peacock asked, for she always called men by their first name (even if she didn't know their first name)._

_"Yes, the cat's meow." Mr. Green replied, staring at Scarlet through his glass. The tension got heavier as the room grew silent. _

_"Evelyne, have you met Mr. Jonathan Green?__ He's younger than me but, I must admit, well on his way in the business world.__" Mr. Boddy asked, hoping to start a conversation. The young lady looked up, glancing quickly at the man wearing a __pinstripe__ suit__ and staring at her. _

_"Yes, we met at my father's funeral." The lady answered shortly._

_Fortunately, at that moment Col. Mustard burst through the door with a mighty yell that frightened all the guests except Mrs. White. S__he merely handed him his drink __(The col. was a usual at the mansion). _

_"Colonel Mustard, always fun to have you drop by." Mr. Boddy greeted his life-long friend with a clap on the back once he had calmed down._

_"Always fun to drop by, Reginald." Col. Mustard replied in his booming voice that filled the room.__ "And I do believe that our last guest was arriving just behind me in his__jalopy."_

_Indeed, at that very moment Prof. Plum dashed into the room, out of breath and with his unkempt brown hair falling down into his eyes. His eyes themselves, though beautiful and dark, were hidden behind his glasses (which he usually lost). _

_Only one person in the room seemed grateful that he was there. Miss Scarlet sighed as she gazed at Plum, imagining that he would notice her tonight. __She__ and Plum had grown up together__, yet he still seemed clueless whenever she tried to make her feelings known. She had tried to make him jealous before by flirting with __any and all__ men in front of him, yet he didn't ever seem to get mad._

_"Plum! You made it, and almost on time too." Mr. Boddy greeted the slightly confused man as he entered. _

_The young man gazed around the room, his heart skipping a beat as his __eyes passed over Scarlet. _

_"Well, I figured it appropriate to be on time to such an important event such as the opening of Raven Brook's new museum." He spoke without thinking. He received blank stares._

_"This is my dinner party, Peter." Mr. Boddy whispered to the man._

_"Oh applesauce!" he cried, stamping his foot on the ground, frightening Mrs. Peacock. "I knew I forgot something last week!"_

_Everyone shook their heads or rolled their eyes, but Scarlet just smiled. Peter was always so fuddled, it was just like him to mix up the dates of two parties, yet she was glad that this was the one he remembered, even if it wasn't because of her._

_For better or for worse, Mr. Boddy's party had begun._

* * *

I pedaled my bike down the old cracked road, staring up at the warm setting sun that shone through the cloud of orange leaves in the trees above me. Breathing in the crisp air, the open end of my oversized coat trailed behind me.

My backpack was full of snacks and flashlights, extra batteries, and a book of ghost stories (just in case). I didn't feel any fear, only excitement, as I neared the front of the old gate. I saw that Peter, David, and Heather were already there and waiting outside the gate. I knew that Heather had probably walked, along with David, but Peter's bike was resting on the ground outside the cold metal bars of the fence. I coasted towards them, hopping off and walking my bike the rest of the way.

"Hey Madison," Heather waved to me, "Right on time." She smiled.

"Alex isn't here yet?" I asked, looking around.

"No, and neither is Jackson, although I'm not surprised about him." David told us, kicking a rock around in the pile of leaves.

Just then, a car pulled over to us and I could see Alex and Jackson inside. As they got out, Mrs. Clemmons waved to our group. Mrs. Clemmons was Jackson's neighbor. She was about 60, with white hair and grey eyes (she also made the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies ever!).

"Hello, I was just giving these two a ride. Have fun tonight!" she called to us as she started to drive away. We all turned to the two who had just arrived.

"Alex stopped by my house to make sure that I was coming, and Mrs. Clemmons noticed us, so we told her that we were going on a night hike, starting at the Boddy Mansion. She gave us a ride." Jackson told us, lugging his knapsack as he approached. Alex rolled her eyes, joining the group with her own messenger bag.

For a moment we all turned to the gate, staring at the imposing wrought-iron B that was formed in the middle of the front entrance. The gate was closed with a thick chain and padlock. Inside, the house was barely visible.

"Well, I guess that we should go inside now." Alex told us, starting to crawl through a hole in the gate between the iron bars and the large B. She was able to fit because of her petite form. I followed, but everyone else hung back.

"There is no way I can fit through there." David pointed out. Alex stuck her head back through.

"That's why you brought the toolbox. Is there a wrench in there, or some pliers?" she asked. David rummaged around in his backpack, and came up with a heavy wrench. "Now, just use it to break the chain off." Alex came back through the fence, standing next to me.

David broke through the chain easily, wrenching the gate open with a squeak. We all covered our ears, grimacing at the noise. David winced as the gate creaked open wider. Then, it was quiet. We all looked around, hearing only the cawing of a crow from far away.

"Well, I guess that either that creepy gardener isn't here, or he's deaf." Alex sighed, straitening back up. She grabbed her bag, starting to head off towards the far end of the grounds.

We all followed, glancing around nervously. I saw an old fountain, cracked from age, standing broken and dry in a patch of weeds. The angel standing in the middle of it was pointing his finger at us accusingly. I turned quickly, catching back up with the group.

Jackson was following Peter and Alex closely, wringing his hands as he stared nervously around us. Heather found an old greenhouse as we neared the back of the property and glanced inside cautiously, jumping back with a screech when a cat shot out. David was trying to part some thick branches that were concealing an old building in the far corner of the yard that looked as if it housed various cages and cement pits.

"What is it?" I asked, coming up behind him. He glanced back at me as the group gathered around him.

"It looks like he had some animals back here, or something." He told us as he pried the archaic wooden door open. It creaked inwards, throwing a small amount of light inside. Everyone went inside, except Jackson and Heather who hung back in fear.

The building smelt like a barn, and was covered in cobwebs that we tried to avoid. I peered in one of the cages and saw a small skeleton bent over in a corner. I stepped back quickly, running into Peter. He grabbed my arm, smiling weakly down at me.

David brought out a flashlight he had brought and shone it in one of the cement pits that still held some swampy water at the bottom of it. We all stared down, then gasped when something moved. Everyone abandoned the small zoo fast enough, heading on to what looked like a garden.

There was what appeared to be an old shrub maze, long since dead and overgrown, but interesting nonetheless, near the middle of the gardens. I walked through it with Heather and Peter as Jackson stuck with Alex and David.

"Guys! Look what we found!" Alex called over to us. We picked our way through the shrubs to join them at an old shack that looked like it was in better shape than the rest of the property. We tried to open the door but found it locked.

David shone his light through a small window, and we saw a bed and little kitchen inside. Someone was living here. Jackson started to walk away quickly.

"Alright, I've seen enough, I'm out of here!" he told us. "I'll walk if I have to- but there is NO way I'm going to stay here overnight!"

"Come on Jackson! The gardener isn't here! We're fine!" Alex tried to reassure him. He kept heading for the gate.

"What, do you think that the house is haunted?" David asked. Jackson stopped, his foot hovering before he put it down and turned back to us.

"No, it just…doesn't feel right." He shrugged. He turned back, heading for the gate. We all looked at each other before running after him.

"Jackson, you can't just leave us! Aren't you curious?" Heather asked him.

"Yes, but not curious enough to spend the night here!" he replied, not stopping.

"Come on, just this once do something crazy!" Peter tried. Jackson paused, and Peter smiled, thinking that he had stopped him from leaving.

"The gate…" Jackson stuttered, pointing as he turned pale, "It's…someone locked it!"

We all turned quickly and, seeing the gate shut, rushed towards it. No matter how hard we shook it, it didn't come open. Finally, I turned away.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to stay here." Alex sighed happily, walking towards the mansion. The rest of us followed, unsure. Only David kept up with her, heading straight towards the house that, like it or not, we were staying at tonight.


	3. surprise!

**Chapter three**

A/N: I don't own clue, only David, Alex, Madison, Peter, Jackson, Heather, and Alfred (a.k.a. the creepy gardener). Enjoy!

* * *

The front door used to be big and majestic, but it had long since been walked through. It now stood open, and we walked inside into the gloom. I took a step over towards the middle of the room and my foot crashed through the floor. I groaned as I tried to pull it out. Someone came up behind me, pulling it out of the floor successfully.

"Thanks," I turned to find Madison next to me. I smiled.

"No problem, just make sure you watch where you step next time." She smiled back.

The walls were still covered in elegant wallpaper, but there was water damage everywhere. The floor was bare in some places, covered in ruined Persian rugs in others. Fungus was growing on the walls near the windows, and a spider web was in the doorway to what looked like a dining room.

Alex disappeared down a hallway with her flashlight and returned a few moments later.

"I've checked some of the rooms, and most of them are in bad shape." She told us.

"What about this one?" David called over to us. We followed his voice, coming to a cozy room tucked away to the side. Alex shone her flashlight inside.

There was a red velvet couch which looked somewhat okay. Bookcases lined one of the walls, full of knick knacks and mouse-eaten novels. Two large picture windows looked out over the front of the yard, and a coffee table was in the middle of the room, resting on an oriental rug. An old, forgotten rotary telephone was sitting on a side table.

"Looks good. The floor looks like it's probably still strong, and there aren't many animals or bugs in here. I say we use it as our base." Alex stepped into the room. We followed her closely, setting our bags down around the room.

I pulled out the map, tracing my finger lightly through the rooms.

"The...lounge. This is the lounge." I told everyone as I rolled the map up and placed it back in my backpack.

"We should go and try to find some candles." David told everyone, noticing that six flashlights wouldn't be enough light.

"There should be some in the basement; that would be where they would put all the useful stuff before the house was abandoned. That way, if anyone bought the house they would have some supplies." Alex said, still studying the room.

"Uh-uh. You can make me stay here in this scary house, but there is no way I'm going down into the basement!" Jackson told us, sitting down.

"Alright," Alex smiled evilly, "But you'll be here…all alone…by yourself…" she told him as we left the room. We walked out of the room and down the hallway, staring at her. She smiled, holding three fingers up and whispering.

"Three…two…one." She counted down on her fingers.

"Guys-wait!" Jackson's feet pounded down the hallway behind us. We glanced at him, then at Alex before bursting out laughing.

The doorway that held the basement stairs was next to the grand staircase. I clicked my flashlight on as David opened it. The stairs seemed to be eaten up by the darkness halfway down. I sighed.

"Couldn't one creepy mansion not have a scary basement? Seriously, you'd think that it was a requirement in these old houses."

"Well, I'm sure it's not that bad once we get down there. Besides, all we need is to grab the box of candles and get back up here." David tried to make everyone feel better.

The whole group took the first step together, then the next. Our flashlight beams bobbed and shook as we descended. Soon enough, we reached the floor. I swept my light around the cold basement, and saw that the floor was covered in hundreds of old cardboard boxes.

"Great." Heather threw a hand in the air, "How are we going to find the candles in this mess?"

"Let's spread out." Alex told us. She headed for the far side of the room, David taking the opposite end. Jackson started pawing through the boxes by the stairs as Heather joined David. I took a few steps and stopped when I noticed a box full of interesting stuff.

I bent down, picking through the contents. I grabbed a piece of paper that was a faded white, and read through the scrawling writing.

_Dear Mrs. Blanche White, you are cordially invited to attend a dinner party at the estate of Mr. Reginald Boddy on the evening of 15__th__ June at 7:30 PM. Please wear appropriate attire for we will be discussing my will later in the evening. I hope you will be able to attend but if not, then please contact me before 10__th__ June. I shall be seeing you soon, signed Mr. Boddy. _

"What is it?" Madison asked, dropping down beside me. I jumped at her voice before turning to her.

"It's an old dinner invitation. Looks like there's a guest list in here." I told her, handing the invite to her so she could read it. I picked up a yellowed piece of stationary.

"Guest list: Mr. Jonathan Green, Col. Michael Mustard, Mrs. Elizabeth Peacock, Prof. Peter Plum…" I paused at the mention of my name. The paper shook in my hands as I stared at it.

"What is it?" Madison asked, gazing at the paper with me. My heart sped up with her so close.

"My great grandfather…" I told her, rubbing my finger gently over the name, my name.

"Wow…" she breathed.

"…Miss Evelyne Scarlet and Mrs. Blanche White." I finished.

"Guys!" Madison yelled to everyone. They sped over to us.

"What? What is it?" David asked. I was still staring at the paper.

"These people…we're all related to them!" I whispered.

"Look, Peter's great-grandfather went to one of Mr. Boddy's parties!" Madison told them, pointing to the name on the list.

"No…my great-great-grandmother was there too." Alex said, her mouth open as she found the name on the paper. She stared with wide-eyed admiration.

"And-and my last name…that's my last name right there! And Jackson…that's your last name!" David sputtered.

"Scarlet…the lady in that picture." Heather murmured, "Scarlet was my mother's maiden name."

"Well, my names not on there!" Madison said, glancing around at everyone. I looked at the only name that hadn't been claimed.

"Was your mother's maiden name Green?" I asked her.

"I'm not sure…no, it wasn't." she sighed. "It was Getty."

"Well…maybe your grandmother's?"

"I'm not sure what her maiden name was." She sighed.

"But…you have to be related to Mr. Jonathan Green, because we're all related to someone on this list. Don't you get it? This is why this house seemed familiar to us all!" I told her.

* * *

_It was after dinner, when everyone was enjoying coffee and dessert in the lounge, that Mr. Boddy really got the party started__. He stood, six black packages in hand, as he cleared his throat._

_"I believe that now that everyone's acquainted, it's time to start the fun." He passed the packages out, each one addressed to a different guest._

_"A present Reginald? Really, didn't we come here tonight to speak of your will?" asked Mr. Green apprehensively. __Everyone knew how hard Mr. Green had been trying to weasel his way into Boddy's will._

_"I'm sure that you'll find these gifts very…interesting, to say the least." Mr. Boddy told his guests as he started to pace. _

_Green had his opened first, and found that his box held a sturdy lead pipe. He picked it up, feeling __its__ weight in his hands as he studied it.__Scarlet had her box opened almost as fast, and was now tracing her fingers over __a sharp dagger-knife. The handle was carved intricately with designs of foxes and leaves. Plum, after seeing what the other boxes held, tore open his to find a large wrench, a dent in the handle as if it had been dropped. Then, Mustard ripped his box open and found a new revolver, fully loaded and ready to be shot. Mrs. White clasped her we__apon, a thick silver candlestick, __and __Mrs__. Peacock just stared into her box at the rope, a noose tied into it, before clapping her hands to her mouth in horror._

_"I have just given each of you a lethal weapon, fit for killing a person with. It's up to you what you do with it." Mr. Boddy nodded at the group. _

_"But-but…why? What's the purpose of this?" Col. Mustard demanded, standing up. Mr. Boddy pushed him aside, walking over to a__ wooden carved__ box on the table and opening it. He brought out his will, holding it up so everyone could see the__ folded__ paper. _

_"This is my will, the object of all of your desires and attention for the past few weeks__. I shall not be reading it yet." He sighed, placing the will into his pocket. "But perhaps one of you will be ambitious enough to read it for yourselves before the night is over." He smiled__ at the surprised group._

* * *

I shivered, David standing next to me as usual. I turned to him.

"Let's get out of here!" I pleaded, glancing around nervously at the dank cellar.

"Wait-we need to find the candles." Alex said, waking back up and jumping around the room. I watched her, holding my breath. She was taking too long.

"Hey, I found them!" Jackson yelled at the base of the stairs. We all turned to find him trying to lift a heavy box full of old, half-melted candlesticks.

"Thank you Jackson!" I sighed, rushing over to him and grabbing the box out of his hands before darting up the stairs. The group met me in the lounge as I was setting the candles around, making sure we had enough matches.

"I'm sorry guys…" I muttered as they came in, "I don't know what happened down there. It was just…"

"Too weird." Madison finished for me, slumping down on the couch.

"Yeah, exactly." I nodded at her, smiling as Alex started to light the candles.

"I know, this all seems like it's out of the Twilight Zone or something." Peter agreed, sitting next to Madison non-chalantly. I smiled quietly, turning away.

I had known Peter since first grade, and even then he was best friends with Madison. In this past couple of months though, he had made the short jump between _best _friend and a little _more_ thana friend. Madison hadn't quite caught on yet, as most girls don't when their best friends are trying to hide their feelings, but if Peter ever wanted to have a chance with Madison, he'd need to tell her soon.

Then, thunder shattered through the room, shaking the ancient walls and making us all jump. After the loud outburst, it got quiet until Jackson started in.

"Guys…" he whimpered, inching closer to the door.

"Jackson, we're staying. Do you want to go out there in the dark and…look, it's started to rain." Alex commented, glancing past the faded curtains that shrouded the large windows. Jackson was glancing around quickly, his eyes wide.

"I really don't want to…" he muttered, getting even closer to the door.

"Jackson, don't." David warned him, starting to walk over to him.

All of a sudden, one of the windows crashed open, letting wet wind in, and Jackson shot out of the room with record speed. We all turned to where he was sitting just half a second before, before we all took off down the hallway after him.

"Jackson!" I called, leading the group. He was only a few feet ahead of me, I could reach him.

Not only did I reach him, I ran right into him. He had flung himself on the door, and had started rattling the door handle like crazy. Once I had pried myself off of him and the group had crowded around us, Jackson backed away from the door slowly.

"Jackson?" Madison asked weakly. His wide eyes had grown wider, and he had started to shake.

"T-the door…" he mumbled, backing into the wall behind him.

David turned to the door, shaking the handle violently. Then, he studied it with a perplexed expression. I got closer to him, touching his arm.

"It's locked." He told us, still staring at it as if it were alive. We all turned to stare at the door quietly.

"Well, it's old, we can break it down." Alex nodded enthusiastically as she came forward, tapping on the sturdy wood.

"With what? A candlestick? It's not like we have a battering ram or anything!" Peter threw his hands in the air.

"Well, fine. Look, this isn't the only way out. Everyone spread out, I know that the windows aren't locked." Alex sighed. We all reluctantly split up into smaller groups, going around to the different rooms on the first floor.

At first, we moved slowly and reluctantly, but then we all rushed around, not believing what was happening. I crashed into Jackson as I was running around a corner, and we both screamed as Heather and David tripped over us. Somehow, we all ended up in the lounge.

Alex was standing there, staring blankly at the window that had been open only a few moments before.

"Alex…?" I whispered, walking towards her.

"This can't be happening…" she breathed. I looked at the window, and saw that it had somehow had been locked and boarded up from the outside. I backed away quickly, my breathing becoming labored.

Every single window and door on the first floor had been locked.

Then, the world shook and little black dots made my vision go fuzzy. I crashed to the ground, and saw David rush over to me before I blacked out.

* * *

A/N: Sorry it's taking me forever, I spend eight and a half hours every day at summer band, plus an hour reading Count of Monte Cristo for my English class (that book is longer than the bible-no joke, go compare), along with whatever else is happening in my life, and whatever chores my parents decide to heap on me such as chores. So, please be paitient because I am currently suffering from exhaustion and writer's block. Thanks and Review! 


	4. the stain

**Chapter four**

A/N: Once again, I apologize for how long it's taking me to write this. I have almost no free time whatsoever. Clue belongs to Hasbro, other characters belong to me. Enjoy!

* * *

I had watched David and Peter help Heather on the couch before joining her. I sunk into a sitting position, staring at the now-boarded up window. Everyone else sat around the room, Jackson making sure he was near the middle of the group and Madison with her back resting against the coffee table.

"It-it doesn't make any sense." I murmured, studying the window.

"I know; how could a window that was open, suddenly be locked and boarded up two minutes later?" David wondered out loud.

"It was the gardener, it has to be." Jackson nodded.

"Unless, maybe someone…something, doesn't want us to leave." Peter thought, turning to me. Suddenly something clicked.

"Guys!" I sat up suddenly, a light bulb going off over my head. "Whoever did this, they must know something about this house and what it has to do with us!"

"What do you mean Alex?" David asked.

"Yeah, did you just miss my gardener theory?" Jackson asked.

"No, it _can't _be the gardener! That's exactly what whoever's doing this wants us to think!" I told them, standing up and starting to pace. "I think we need to go and find out more about this dinner party and what it had to do with us, and to do that, we should split up." I thought aloud.

"No, no, no-no way!" Peter jumped up, turning to me.

"Why not?" I asked him.

"Because, for one, we're in a creepy abandoned dilapidated house, and two, someone just trapped us inside, and now you want us to split up? Nothing good can come out of us splitting up; have you learned nothing from Scooby Doo?" He tried to convince me.

"I'll pair you up with Madison." I whispered to him. "And just think, it'll be you and her…alone in a creepy house, together." His face looked surprised for a second.

"Alright…deal." He whispered back, going and sitting down. I smiled triumphantly.

* * *

"Okay, me and Jackson will take the kitchen and the conservatory." David said, pointing it out on the map.

"We will?" Jackson asked weakly. Everyone ignored him.

"Heather and I get the library, the dining room, and the billiard room." Alex nodded, staring at the map.

"Okay, Madison and I will take the study, the hall, and the ballroom." Peter told them, tracing his eyes across the map. I nodded, glad that all our rooms were on the first floor.

"Alright, we'll meet up again in the lounge. Everyone ready?" Alex asked. We all agreed, more or less.

Peter grabbed a flashlight and I took a candle and a box of matches. We both grabbed our own bags that we had brought with us before heading out into the hallway. The entire group stuck together for a few steps before we all reluctantly split up into our smaller groups of two.

Peter took the map out of his backpack, unrolling and shining his flashlight on it. I peered over his shoulder at the blueprint, squinting as I read it.

"According to the map, the study should be…over there." He pointed with his flashlight beam down a dark hallway. We both didn't move, scared to take the first step. I could hear Alex and Heather's footsteps as they walked up the creaky grand staircase to the library on the second floor. David and Jackson were already to far away to hear, the kitchen being on the other end of the mansion. Then, we both glanced at each other nervously before laughing weakly and looking down at the floor.

"Well, I guess we should get going." He smiled at me. I nodded at him, following him closely as we started down the corridor.

I studied the walls as we continued walking, noticing old portraits of people and places that were all covered by a layer of dust. The elegant wallpaper, a red floral design, was torn and shredded in some places, as if it had been attacked by something. The ancient wooden floor groaned as we walked, threatening to give way underneath us.

I felt Peter stiffen, and realized that I had crept closer and closer to him without realizing it. I leapt back, glad that it was dark so he couldn't see me blush.

"Sorry." I sighed, getting a better grip on my candle.

"It's fine." He nodded, his face in a shadow. "I think this is it." He pointed his flashlight into the room in front of us.

"Alright." I nodded back.

We took a step forward, before pausing. Peter shone his flashlight around inside the room without stepping inside it. We were both breathing heavy, and (I hoped) his heart was beating as fast as mine. The room held a window (locked), a large cushioned armchair, and walls lined with bookcases and posters.

As he was swinging the beam of light across the room, something caught my eye on the floor.

"Wait," I touched his arm, stopping him, "Go back over there." I pointed. He swung the light back around, and it lit up the old, half-destroyed carpet that covered the floor. His flashlight found the spot on the carpet that I had seen in a split second, hoping that I had just imagined it.

A dark stain had blossomed on the once-green carpet, forever staining it. It lead a trail into the room before pooling in a large puddle that had long ago dried up.

My blood went cold as I started to shake with fear. This house suddenly seemed more malicious, more threatening, and the darkness as thick as black velvet. A cold sweat broke out on my forehead as I dropped my candle (quickly stamped out by Peter).

He stared with me at the stain, his breathing becoming louder.

"Is that…is that…?" Peter asked quietly, his voice shaking as much as I was.

I could only nod my head as I stared at the dark spot on the carpet. Then, I backed away, feeling for the wall behind me as I tried to breath.

"Madison? Are you alri-" Peter started to ask.

"AHHHHH!" I screamed as loud as humanly possible.

* * *

_Mrs. Peacock walked fearfully down the hallway, trying to keep her mind off the weapons by studying the portraits__of the Boddy family__ that lined the corridor. She had known the family all her life, her husband having been close to Mr. Boddy's parents__ while he was alive._

_She shook her head as she glanced down at the rope she held in her hands, wondering what on Earth Reginald had been thinking when he had given them all these weapons. That was why she was walking down this incredibly long hallway right now, to try and find Mr. Boddy and ask him what was going on._

_Reginald always escaped to his study, sometimes almost ghost-like. The elderly widow could never quite figure out how he always managed to go in and out of rooms on opposite ends of the mansion so quickly. He knew this house almost as good as the maid, Mrs. White, did, and that was what Mrs. Peacock always told herself to explain this little mystery._

_She neared the solid oak door, carved with a forest scene, fearfully. There was something about this __part of the house that always gave her the heebie-jeebies; maybe it was because it seemed more isolated from the rest of the house. She already could barely make out the muffled chorus of "sing sing sing" __that had been blaring out of the lounge where the other guests where discussing what Mr. Boddy was trying to get at with his little speech._

_She hesitated before knocking quietly on the door, clearing her throat daintily._

_"Um, Reginald? Mr. Boddy? It's Peacock; I was just wondering if I could possibly…" The door started to open. He had left it unlocked._

_The widow stood in the open doorway for a moment, contemplating if she should enter. Then, sighing, she took a step into the room…and screamed._

_Mr. Boddy, or rather, Mr. Boddy's body, was laying on the floor, blood seeping into the carpet from an open wound in his head. _

_The poor lady fainted before she could run away, collapsing on the ground and successfully wrinkling her new cocktail dress._

_

* * *

_

A/N: Once again, sorry for the delay. You try spending eight hours a day in band class and outside in August in Texas; the sun is seriously frying away my brain. It has gotten harder and harder for me to write these stories, but don't worry; I'll finish them eventually. Review please! (It might help my creative writing skills).


	5. weapons and peanut butter

**Chapter five**

A/N: Only about two more days of summer band…then school starts. Ugh! My excess writing time is gone; what little free time I have is spent on trying to finish summer reading for English and fighting my sister for the computer. Anyways, I don't own clue, only the six teenagers, the creepy gardener, and the sweet neighbor. Alright, continuing on now.

* * *

I jumped as a bloodcurdling scream sliced through the house's silence. David glanced up in surprise. He turned around, starting to run in the direction the scream had come from.

"That sounds like it could be Madison." He muttered as I tried to keep up with him. We could hear Alex and Heather as they pounded down the stairs.

We all met up outside the study, Peter holding Madison as she shook, pointing at a spot in the carpet that they were both staring at. I turned to look and almost screamed myself at the large bloodstain. I heard David and Heather gasp, and saw everyone's eyes grow as big as apples at the dark spot.

Alex was, as usual, the first to get a hold of herself, and she started to herd us back down the hallway to the lounge again. Once we had all mechanically sat down around the candle-lit room, the silence became almost unbearable.

"There was…there was blood on the carpet." Madison muttered, her face still pale, "Did you see it?"

"Yes, Madison, we all saw it. It was an old stain, nothing to worry about." Alex told her sternly, trying to get her to calm down.

Madison took a shaky breath, resting her head in her hands. I saw Peter try to sneak up next to her, a hand hovering over her shoulders as if he couldn't decide whether to touch her or not. I had my hands clutched into fists and was biting the side of my mouth, trying to stay calm. This night wasn't getting any better.

Heather had been pacing the room, studying the bookcases, when she noticed something on one of the shelves. She leaned in closer, peering in at a spot on the bookcase.

"Guys," She waved us over, "Come here, I've found something!"

David, Peter, and Alex joined her as her fingers pried something out of the bottom of the shelf. There was a loud creaking noise as a plank of wood came loose, revealing a cavity that contained something. I stood up with Madison as the others glanced at each other.

"What is it?" Madison asked, coming closer. Alex pulled out a black box gently, blowing a layer of dust off of it. I wiggled my nose as the cloud of dust floated towards me, but ended up sneezing loudly.

Alex smirked, handing the box to Heather and pulling out another, this time one for Peter. The next box was for me. I looked down at it, seeing that it was labeled with _Mrs. Elizabeth Peacock._ Looking around the group, I saw that everyone else had gotten boxes that were labeled with their ancestor's names.

Alex's box was last; then we stood still. Finally, Alex gave a sigh and a half-hearted smile.

"Guess we should open them." She shrugged, starting to take the lid off of hers. I gulped, staring down at my own box. Finally, I threw the top of the box off.

There was a collective gasp as we all realized what we were holding. Heather dropped her box, which held an ornate dagger. David was staring at an ancient revolver, and Alex had picked up a rather bulky, tarnished candlestick. Peter set his box down, a clunky wrench inside. Madison ran her fingers over a heavy pipe as I stared into my box at the archaic rope inside, already tied up into a noose.

"Hehe, weapons…" Heather tried to laugh, sitting down heavily. "How perfect…"

* * *

_The nervous guests had barricaded themselves inside the lounge, as far from the body as possible. They had all had a fright at the sight of their host, dead on the ground. __Mr. Green was currently pacing around the floor, staring at the ground __tensely__. Finally, he spun on his heel to face the group. _

_"One of us must've killed him." He sighed._

_"You're a regular Sherlock, aren't you?" Mrs. White replied sarcastically. The young __entrepreneur__ turned his fiery eyes on her._

_"You seem rather calm tonight White; Do you happen to know who bumped him off?" Mr. Green asked._

_The grey-haired lady shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know from nothing." _

_"Really? I'm starting to think that you double-crossed him yourself!" The young man grew closer to her, the anger rising in his voice no matter how hard he tried to disguise it._

_"Please! Stop beating your gums and let's call the police!" Mrs. Peacock pleaded __desperately_

_"Sorry Peacock, that wouldn't be very keen. If the police get here, one of us would be left holding the bag. No, I say we try to figure this out by ourselves first." Mr. Green told her harshly._

_"And how!" Mustard agreed, standing._

_"I say we split up and try to find some clues." Green explained._

_"But, how do we know if the crook won't be on the lam as soon as we split up?" Scarlet asked, wringing her hands._

_"Fine, we'll split up into groups of two, alright doll?" Green asked her coldly. Ms. Scarlet looked at the ground, nodding. Prof. Plum was the only one to notice how she seemed scared of Green._

* * *

"Alright, I think we should go back out there, try again." David said, standing. I saw Jackson shaking his head vigorously and smiled despite the situation.

"What? We happen to find out that someone was severely hurt in this house, and that it was probably one of our great grandparents, and you just want to split up again?" Heather asked him.

"Look, we're trapped here anyway. We might as well figure out what happened here." David told her. They stared at each other for a long moment before Heather finally glanced at the ground, nodding sullenly.

The groups started to leave the room, all armed with their own weapons this time. I turned to Madison who was fingering her lead pipe gently, fearfully.

"Madison? Look, we don't have to go back to the study. Let's go check out the ballroom, alright?" I asked her. We were the only ones left in the room now, the candle light playing off the walls. She nodded at me, sighing as she took up the lead pipe and her candle before following me down the dark hallway.

Halfway there, she stopped me, kneeling on the ground and going through her bag.

"Hang on a sec, I need some comfort food." She told me, bringing out a bag of Oreos. I smiled as she twisted the top off of one, crunching the dark cookie in her mouth. I sat next to her, going through my backpack as well.

"You know what you need to go with Oreos?" I asked her with a smile.

"Milk?" she asked, muffled from a full mouth. She swallowed, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry."

"No, not milk." I laughed quietly, bringing out a jar of peanut butter. Her eyes grew as wide as her smile as I unscrewed the top off of the jar.

"Oh, that's perfect!" She giggled, scooping a cookie in, offering me one as well. "Wait a minute,"she paused, "What are you doing with a jar full of peanut butter in your backpack?"

"Come on, peanut butter goes with anything!" I told her, making her laugh as she covered her mouth with the back of one of her free hands.

We were quiet for a moment, our chewing being the only sound. Finally, she sighed and started to put the half-eaten bag of cookies back into her backpack.

"This house creeps me out so much, I don't even know why." She told me, glancing around nervously.

"I know, it's just from everything that's happened so far." I told her, starting to stand.

"Do you ever get the feeling that something bad is going to happen?" She asked me as I helped her up. She was still studying the foyer we were in, so she didn't see me staring at her.

"Like right now? Yeah, I think I have." I tried to sound light-hearted, but failed.

"It's just…I feel like this mansion is…I don't want to be here anymore. This sounded like fun until we got here." She said shakily.

"Hey, it'll be alright Maddy." I told her.

"How can you be sure?" she asked, shivering despite her huge brown coat that trailed practically down to her knees.

"It'll be alright." I told her when I saw tears in her eyes reflecting the candle light. Without meaning to, I pulled her into a hug, pressing her head into my shoulder. "I won't let _anything _hurt you." I murmured.

"Thank you…" she whispered, her shoulders relaxing.

Then, I happened to look over at the boarded-up window close to us. Through a small slit that let in the darkness of the night outside, I saw a shadow move quickly out of the way so that it wouldn't be seen. Someone was out there.

* * *

A/N: I'm hoping that that last part was creepy. I don't think I'm doing all that great of job building suspense yet, but tell me if I'm wrong. Hopefully the next couple of chapters will seem a bit more suspenseful than this one. Review and I'll give you an Oreo!


	6. watch your step

Chapter six

A/N: Sorry for the long delay but school and band and homework and chores just plain make me worn out, and don't exactly leave time for writing. Anyways, here we go! I've been looking forward to this chapter for a long time; we get to see how everyone acts around certain characters. I don't own clue, just my own characters.

* * *

Jackson and I walked back to the kitchen, our flashlight beams bobbing on the ground. There was a long hallway we had to go down, a bit smaller than the others, signaling that it had been used by the servants.

"So Jackson," I started, my shoulders sinking as I tried to relax into our surroundings, "What's with you? I mean, how do you expect to get a girl if you're always such a coward?"

"Girls? Who said anything about girls?" he asked, staring around as if Frankenstein were about to burst out in front of us.

"I did. I'm just saying, you're a little bit too tightly wound up; you just need to chill out, relax." I hit him in the shoulder playfully. He grimaced, grabbing his shoulder and rubbing it as if it were sore.

We reached the swinging door to the kitchen. It was pitch dark in this part of the house, farther away than the other rooms.

"So, do you have an idea of someone to take to the homecoming dance?" I asked him, swinging my beam around the room.

"Homecoming dance…?" He was glancing across the room, not really listening.

"Yeah, you know its next week?" I told him as I turned back around. My flashlight beam bounced off of the hard surface of the tiles on the wall.

"Well, I wasn't really going to go…" he shrugged.

"What? Not going to_ go_?" I asked him loudly.

Suddenly, something crashed thunderously on the opposite end of the kitchen. Jackson cringed as we both turned around slowly. Our flashlights found a pile of old rusted dishes on the floor. Suddenly, something moved in the pile, causing another avalanche of pans and bowls. Jackson and I both jumped back, trying not to scream.

A rat appeared, twitching it's whiskers at us before disappearing into the pantry. I sighed as Jackson watched it leave.

"Just a rat," I smiled nervously. Jackson gulped, nodding as I turned back around.

* * *

My hand slid over the smooth wood of the banister, time sanding the roughness away. I held my flashlight fearlessly, studying the dark green walls of the second floor with nervous anticipation. Heather was behind me; her shoes making the stairs creak as we climbed them. She gazed around as if in a dream.

"It's so beautiful…" she sighed, her eyes moving from the rich walls to the intricate carved wood on the banister.

A small stained window stained part of the hardwood floor upstairs with reds and purples, even at night. The first door we came to, right off of the stairs, was the library. Its bookcases lined the walls top to bottom, and an old rolling ladder could be seen near the far reaches of the labyrinth-like room. My flashlight carved the darkness away, but it was still creepy enough to be exciting.

"Look at this over here!" Heather whispered loudly, walking over to a marble bust. I turned the light over on it, illuminating the face of a young man.

"Reginald L. Boddy," I read the engraving at the bottom, "So this is the mysterious owner of the mansion. He's really…"

"Hot!" Heather smiled.

"What?" I asked her, hoping she was joking.

"Look at him! I mean, you say Reginald Boddy and I think of some old fat guy whose balding and has eaten two dozen too many donuts. Now him, he has a full hair of head and he looks like he's only about twenty or so." She explained enthusiastically. I stared at her as she ran her fingers across the face.

"Ok, stop!" I held my hand up. She glanced up at me. "You think that a statue is…_hot_!?"

"I was just pointing it out, lighten up Alex." She shrugged.

"You're _hugging _a bust, and you think _I _need to lighten up? Oh yea, that makes sense!" I threw my hands up in the air as I turned around. I heard her give a little huff and spin around, heading off towards one of the shelves.

I rolled my eyes, heading to the other end of the room. Suddenly something caught my eye, a little sparkle trapped in the light of my flashlight beam. I padded over, squinting at it. Bending down, I found an almost invisible wire that seemed to be strung throughout the room. I touched it gently, then my eyes widened as I thought of what it could be. I turned my head to Heather who was approaching the bookshelves slowly.

"Heather! Don't-"

She took a step forward before hearing me, tripping the wire.

"Move…" I closed my eyes.

Small metal spikes flew out of the corners of the room at us, embedding themselves in the wood and books in the room. Heather screamed, rolling into a ball on the floor behind a chair. I covered my head with my hands as I looked around, trying to find out where the spikes were being shot from.

Rolling across the ground to Heather, I nearly dodged another stake that drove itself deep into the wood by my feet. Breathing heavy, I glanced over at her.

"We're going to die!" she wailed hysterically. I glanced over at the spots in the walls where the spikes were being shot from before glancing back at her.

"Heather, I know how we can get out of here."

"Alive?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes alive; now pull yourself together!" I told her, sitting up. "This is how we can get out," I pulled us behind a chair. "You triggered this trap to go off, which means that there must be someway to turn it off."

She nodded.

"I've seen this type of trap before, they use models of it in movies and books. There is a switch to turn it off, but it's usually somewhere where whoever tries to turn it off gets hit."

"We're going to die!" she wailed again. I pulled her towards me by her shoulders roughly, quieting her.

"We're not going to die! The statue of Mr. Boddy is the switch. If one of us could get over there and turn it off then it would disable the trap, at least long enough for both of us to escape!"

Heather nodded her head, trying not to hyperventilate.

"Now, I'm going to go over to the statue, and you're going to keep watch and tell me if anything is about to hit me, alright?"

She nodded again. I patted her on her shoulder before turning and staring at the statue which seemed so far away. Taking a deep breath, I pushed myself forward, crawling across the floor. I kept hearing the spikes as they whizzed past me. They made such a terrifying sound, but I kept going.

"Alex, watch out!" I heard Heather yell.

Grabbing a book off of the floor, I turned and used it as a shield as I closed my eyes. I heard a ripping sound before I opened my eyes again. The stake had driven almost all the way through the book, stopping only an inch or two in front of my face. I glanced over at Heather who had paled. Gulping, I ran the rest of the way.

Once at the statue, I twisted and turned every knob and edge I could find, finally stopping the trap by pressing down on Boddy's shoulder.

"Heather, MOVE!" I shouted at her as I held the button down. She leapt up, sprinting out of the room. Turning once more to look at the ruined library, I let go and ran after her, the spikes flying again.

* * *

I followed Madison into the ballroom, trying to act brave. The cavernous room was dark due to the huge white curtains drawn in front of the no doubt very tall windows (which were, no doubt, boarded shut.).

"It's beautiful," Madison sighed, spinning around. I smiled despite all the stuff that was happening. Setting my flashlight on the ground so that it could shed light up on the ceiling far above, I came closer to Madison. She sat down, setting the candle down beside her.

"Couldn't you just imagine what it used to be like?" She asked, her eyes glowing in the faint light. "All the parties, the people, the costumes…"

"Amazing…" I nodded, staring warily into the dark corners of the dance floor. Suddenly, Madison stood up again. "What are you doing?" I asked her, standing also.

"Dancing." She laughed, spinning around the room. I watched her, an amused smile on my face. She smiled at me as she twirled around.

I walked over and stood right by her, startling her as she spun and saw me standing so close. She stopped twirling ungracefully, almost tripping over my feet. Staring up at me, she seemed to have a question in her eyes.

Silently I put my hand on her shoulder and around her waist, leading her out onto the floor in a slower ballroom dance. She followed as I led, the smile coming back onto her face faintly.

* * *

_Plum was shaking, but not because of the grisly murder; he had already forgotten about all of that. No, he was __shak__ing because standing right next to him was the most beautiful girl he had ever known. He could smell the faint breeze of perfume that wafted up from her neck. _

_Scarlet was holding the cand__elabra nervously, trying to act brave in front of Plum. She had managed to keep control of herself so far, even with Jonatha__n Green watching her every move. But now, staring deep into the darkness of the empty ballroom, her lip was quivering and her shoulders seemed too heavy. _

_Plum touched her shoulder, startling her. She whirled her face towards his quickly, realizing that she had let her guard down for too long._

_"Are you alright? You seem to be…not yourself tonight." He asked her. _

_Scarlet lifted her chin haughtily, standing back up and walking over to light __candelabra__ that was in one forgotten corner of the room._

_"I'm fine." She told him __tersely__. He sighed before following her._

_"Are you sure?" Plum asked. _

_"I'm sure." Scarlet told him, finishing lighting the candelabra__ and setting hers down on a side table__. She spun back around, almost tripping over Plum.__ She fell against his chest, her eyes finally meeting his. His eyes were so intense, even through the thick spectacles that he always wore. Scarlet found that a small smile was creeping onto her lips and she turned away quickly to hide it._

_"__Evelyne__," Plum took her hand, surprising himself. She turned back to him, knees weak._

_"Yes Peter?" she asked with a cocked eyebrow. He gulped nervously._

_"Would you-would you like to dance?" he asked her. __She smiled._

_"There's no music." _

_"We don't need music." He told her, making her nod slowly, coming closer._

_The two started out awkwardly, not quite believing what they were doing. One, afraid of the chance he took__ and the other afraid to let the other see her blush__. Soon__ enough__ though, they were sweeping across the floor in a graceful waltz, which was surprising since Plum could actually remember the dance steps._

_They didn't __notice__ the dark figure watching them._

* * *

A/N: Ooh, suspense! I promise I'll update as soon as possible! I'm just slow this time of year, give me time and this story _will get finished_! (Oh, and please review! Thanks!)


	7. into the darkness

**Chapter Seven**

* * *

**A/N:** Another chapter finally! Sorry about the extremely long wait, but I had NaNoWriMo, winter break, TAKS test, spring break, and I'm just downright lazy (especially over the busy summer!). I must've had the biggest case of writer's block in the history of writer's block, but I still don't own clue. Enjoy and review!

* * *

Alex and I were still running downstairs when we almost collided with David and Jackson, who looked almost as panicked as us. I almost tripped as Jackson rounded the corner in front of me. We all screamed (well, except for Alex of course) as we met, out of breath and scared.

"I'm sorry, but we were in the kitchen and…" David panted.

"No, it's alright," I nodded, gulping in air as I bent forward, resting my hands on my shaking knees.

"Did you guys see a rat too?" Jackson whispered to Alex. She turned a glare towards him.

"No, we were almost impaled to death in the library by a booby trap." She replied with a straight face.

"Oh…" Jackson looked away. "Seriously?"

Alex rolled her eyes as I stood back up. David glanced around us at the darkness, his own flashlight flickering with a nearly-dead battery.

"How about we continue our little chat in the lounge?" he asked, starting to herd us down the hallway. No one argued with his suggestion.

As we all shuffled into the lounge, we began to relax into our surroundings. Well, as relaxed as one can get in a dark, creepy house with some madman on the loose that's trapped you inside. Jackson positioned himself on the couch conveniently between me and David. We gave each other a hopeless look as Alex started to pace the room.

"I just don't get it; how could someone know that we'd be here? Why would someone want to do this to us? What the heck is going on?!" she cried, banging her fist against part of the bookcase. A piece of the crown molding shuddered and slid a little off balance so that it was turned crookedly. Alex glanced down at it curiously before reaching out and slowly twisting it back into place.

An awful humming noise filled the dusty lounge as a small fireplace which had been on the opposite wall from the bookcase shook, filling the room with soot. The four of us coughed, trying to wave our hands to clear the air of the smoke.

As the dust settled, we slowly got up and walked over to the fireplace. Kneeling down in front of it, Alex peeked inside before smiling back at us.

"Look!" she pointed to the back of the fireplace, "There's some sort of tunnel!"

"A secret passageway…" I breathed, amazed. We grew quiet as we studied it.

"Well, who wants to go first?" David asked with a weak grin. Alex gave a sigh before grabbing a flashlight off of the coffee table and ducking into the tunnel, the rest of us following close behind.

* * *

Peter stood in front of me, his flashlight carving out the darkness of the stairs. I fidgeted nervously, switching the candle to my other hand before it dripped hot wax all over my coat. Glancing down behind us at the dark cobweb-covered walls, I slunk closer to Peter.

We had finished searching the ballroom and were on our way to the hall when I had suddenly needed to go to the bathroom. Peter and I had begun to hunt for where a bathroom would be, and he had instead found this very dark and very creepy set of stairs. Being his usual curious self he had forged on ahead, and I had foolishly followed.

Big mistake.

The door had slammed shut behind us, as if by a ghost. I had jumped, and Peter fell over with surprise. Now, we were trying to gather enough bravery to see what was at the top of the stairs.

I bit my cheek and crossed my legs, needing a bathroom more every minute. Peter gave a sigh and started up the rest of the stairs. I gripped my candle tighter and followed him. The dilapidated steps creaked beneath us as we slowly ascended them, and I tensed. I was sure the floor would cave in beneath us.

Finally we reached the top, only to be met with another door. Peter reached out and twisted the doorknob. The ancient door creaked open, and I blinked in surprise as moonlight flooded us in a silver glow. We were standing in an attic, and I knew that we must be near the very top of the house. Parts of the wall were missing on the far side of the room, letting in a slight breeze and the sound of light rain. The storm outside had died down, for now.

"Wow…" Peter breathed as he walked slowly into the attic, glancing around at the spacious room. I glanced over at the wall to our left and saw that there were some boards missing from it as well, enough to allow a space big enough for someone to crawl through. I saw the spine of the roof that led a steep walkway out to the tower through the hole.

"Maddy, look at this over here!" Peter called softly over to me. I turned to find him in front of a cloth mannequin dressed in an elegant wedding gown. I gave a small gasp before joining him in front of it. I fingered the delicate cloth and lace of the dress in awe.

"It's beautiful," I smiled. Peter turned a cock-eyed gaze to me. I glanced over at his mischievous smile. "What?" I asked, my voice jumping in laughter.

"You should try it on." He told me.

"No way, I can't try this on!" I told him, holding my hands up.

"Why not? It's not like we're in a museum or anything." He laughed softly at me. I shook my head, turning to walk away.

"Because, it's not like I'd look good in it…" I tried to persuade him. His hand caught my shoulder as he turned me back around to him.

"Are you crazy? You'd look amazing!" he chuckled at me.

"Uh, no, I don't think so." I shook my head at him.

"Only one way to find out," he smiled at me. I sighed, glancing back over at the beautiful dress again with wishful eyes.

"Oh… alright," I smiled, rushing back over to the dress. There was an oriental changing screen behind the mannequin and an oval mirror perched against the opposite wall against an old steamer trunk. I hastily, but gently, undressed the mannequin. "Now, don't look." I scolded Peter as I gathered the old gown up into my arms. I could've sworn he blushed.

* * *

As Maddy disappeared behind the screen, I sat down on top of an old trunk, setting down my back pack and flashlight against the floor. Glancing down next to me, my eye caught an old diary. Frowning, I picked it up. The binding of the once maroon book looked as if it had been chewed on by mice, and some of the pages hung loose, almost falling off.

Cracking it open, I read the first yellowed page.

_Evelyn Rose Scarlet, 6__th__ July, 1921._

"Peter?" I heard Maddy's quiet voice ask. Closing the book gently, I stood.

"Yes?" I answered, walking towards the screen.

"Um, I… there are buttons on the bodice that I can't reach and, could you help me?" She pleaded, poking her head around the edge of the screen. I smiled, hoping she didn't see my face flush.

"To do that, you're going to have to come out from behind that screen." I told her with a smile. She smiled sheepishly back up at me.

"Ok, but don't laugh." She told me.

"I promise, I won't." I replied.

Then she stepped out in front of me, and I felt my mouth fall open. The light from the window behind her silhouetted her body in the dress, and for the first time I noticed how tiny her waist was. The 

dress had a deep v-neck that plunged down towards Madison's chest, and long flowing sleeves that hid her small hands. I blinked, trying to get a hold of myself.

"Peter?" Madison glanced up at me. I closed my mouth.

"Yes, the buttons, right." I nodded hastily as she spun around, her back facing me. My hand fumbled over the slick cloth buttons as I tried to close the back of the delicate dress. My eyes couldn't help but travel down and notice the back of her black bra. Somehow I managed to finish buttoning the dress.

"How do I look?" She sighed, twirling around. I was silent for a moment, still not thinking clearly.

"You look… amazing." I smiled. She smiled and lowered her eyes embarrassedly. "Go look for yourself," I told her, pulling her over to the mirror. She glanced up at the old cracked glass, and her face looked astonished as she saw herself. Spinning around, she giggled like a little girl playing dress-up.

I watched her, my smile growing. Then, she turned back to me.

"Wow, this is amazing." She laughed. I could only nod as she came closer. "I wonder what else is up here." She turned around and started looking at our surroundings.

"Oh, you have to see what I've found!" I told her.

She followed me over to the trunk where I had left the journal. Picking it up, I handed it to her.

"It's Ms. Scarlet's journal." I told her. Her eyes lit up. "You want to read some of it?" I asked her, raising one of my eyebrows." She glanced up at me excitedly before nodding.

* * *

_Peter and I had danced in the darkness and warmth of the candlelit ballroom for what seemed like an eternity. At last our hoofing ended and Peter bravely volunteered to be the one to search the cavernous room._

_I watched him off to the side, hidden in the shadows as he tried to see through the thick darkness. All at once, someone grabbed me from behind. A gasp almost escaped my mouth, but before anything came out a familiar hand covered my lips. _

_It was Mr. Green. I tensed as I saw his evil sneer hovering above my face. Once he knew I wouldn't holler, he released me. I took an angry step away from the vile man._

"_What are you doing here? You gave me the heebie-jeebies!" I scolded him quietly, smoothing out my skirt._

"_Just checking up on my doll." He smirked at me._

"_I am _not _your 'doll'." I sniffed, turning away from him. Unfortunately my wandering eyes found Peter, still stumbling across the room. Even more unfortunate, Mr. Green's eyes found what mine were staring at._

"_I know who's doll you'd like to be though." He chuckled and I felt all the color drain out of my face. "Don't think that it's gone unnoticed."_

"_What has?" I asked him, my voice trembling._

"_Don't play with me Eve; I know you're goofy about Plum." He spat out, and I glanced down at my feet. Then, his hot breath was on my neck as he whispered in my ear. "I was just going to make sure that our little secret didn't get out." _

"_What? You mean how you took all my daddy's money to run a juice joint for your buddies?" I retorted, a little too strongly._

_Jonathan wrenched my arm behind my back painfully and I cringed, a small cry escaping my mouth. He once again leaned down towards my ear._

"_Your daddy was just an old dapper who was too much on the level for my own good. Just don't say anything and nobody will get hurt." He told me roughly._

"_Why don't you just dry up?" I grunted, trying to struggle out of his hold. _

_All at once, he let me go and disappeared. I gave a sigh, catching my breath and regaining my composure. I gazed over at Peter who was just now coming back towards me. I knew what would happen if I told; Peter would be the one to get hurt._

* * *

**A/N:** Da da DUM! The plot thickens! What will happen next? Will Ms. Scarlet tell Plum? Will Alex find where the secret passage leads to? Will Peter and Madison _ever _find a bathroom?! There's only one way to find out… REVIEW! (and then read the next chapter as soon as I post it!).

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	8. secret passageways of DOOM!

**Chapter Eight**

**A/N**: Another chapter. I don't own clue. Enjoy!

* * *

I had changed out of the dress and back into my regular clothes as Peter carefully placed the journal into his bag. I stepped back out from behind the curtain, the delicate dress cradled in my arms. I set it down gently on the old steamer trunk before turning towards Peter.

"It's so sad; she loved Plum, but as far as I can tell, they never really knew about each other's feelings." I sighed, remembering Evelyn's sad words.

"Yeah," Peter sighed, glancing down at his feet as if he were ashamed of something.

I bit my lip and crossed my legs, wishing that I didn't have to go to the bathroom.

"Hey Peter, you still have that blue print, don't you?" I asked. He looked back up at me as if he just remembered.

"Oh, a bathroom! Right!" he nodded, throwing the blueprint onto the table. Unrolling it, we both searched the ancient scrawled words that hung over each room. "There," he pointed, his finger stabbing at a small closet-like room that was down a long, narrow hallway that eventually led to the kitchen.

"Oh, thank you!" I sighed happily, rushing to my feet and grabbing my candle that had slowly been melting away in a corner.

We both rushed down the stairs, thankfully being able to open the door at the bottom this time. Finally, we found the room that I so desperately needed. I set my candle on the middle of the floor, trying to light up the darkness of the room. It was as dilapidated as the rest of the house, and at first I was worried about sitting down on the toilet unless there was something living inside of it, but I just crossed my fingers and got it over with.

Emerging from the dark space, I re-joined Peter in the hallway.

"Feel better?" he smiled over at me.

"Much," I sighed.

"Hey, want to see if David and Jackson are still down here? I'm getting kind of freaked out being split up from the rest of them." He explained, throwing a worried glance around the claustrophobic corridor. I nodded enthusiastically, wanting to see someone else besides just the two of us. I felt like we had been deserted in this house by ourselves.

We both started down the hallway, at first attempting cheerful small talk. Pretty soon we were quiet, our fear silencing us. Our lights gave us only so much comfort in the blackness of this house and I constantly felt as if we were being followed.

Finally ahead of us I could make out the door to the kitchen. Swinging it open slowly, we both looked inside. It was as dark as a cave back here; no amount of light pollution was able to sneak in. I stepped more fully into the room, resisting the urge to hold onto Peter. The door creaked close behind us, and my shallow breathing sped up.

"Well," Peter attempted a weak smile, "No one's here. Guess we should-"

Before he could finish a loud crashing noise made us both jump. We trained our lights on a pile of dishes as they clattered to life.

"Maybe it's just a mouse or something," Peter whispered back to me, as if that thought would comfort me at all. And then, something black streaked out from the pile, making the dishes collapse noisily onto the floor. Whatever it was melted into the shadows, but I could see yellow eyes staring at us from the darkness.

"Peter," I whimpered as we both stared at the creature.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Let's get out of here."

"Agreed." He nodded back. We made for the door. Peter slammed himself against it, but it didn't budge at all. I cried out as he fell onto the floor, surprised by the sudden stop. I helped him up, but he was shaken.

"T-the door," He scrambled to his feet, backing away from the exit, "It's, somebody nailed it shut!" he pointed at it. I blinked before shivering in fear.

_Someone _was_ behind us; we were trapped down here with someone… something!_

My thoughts terrified me more than whatever was behind the nailed-shut door. I felt all the blood drain out of my face. One look over at Peter and I could see that he was as pale as I was. Good thing I went to the bathroom earlier.

Another clatter from the undead dishes sent us both rushing backwards into another door. The pantry. We both fell flat on our backs as the door opened behind us. Trying to get my breath back, I looked around, and then saw something strange.

"Peter," I asked, crawling over towards the back wall that was covered in shelves, "Why would someone need a doorknob on a shelf?"

"What?" he asked, getting to his feet.

I turned the old metal knob slowly as Peter stood by my side, and then the whole wall opened like a giant door. For a moment we were speechless, staring into the abyss of a secret passageway. And then Peter smiled down at me and I just had to smile back.

He held a hand out towards me and I could see that he was shaking. I clutched it tightly and we set off together, closing the door behind us. I don't know if I took his hand because of my fear, or because something in his wonderful dark eyes had made me want to more than anything right then.

* * *

We followed each other in a single-file line through the dank, dark tunnel for what seemed like an eternity. I gave a sigh and noticed that I could faintly see my breath.

Glancing behind me I made out the dim shadows of David, Heather, and Jackson. I was getting _really _tired of having to be the brave one. Didn't anyone realize that I was just as scared as them? But with everyone else falling to pieces, it was up to me to keep control. Like always.

Up ahead my cold flashlight beam made out something that glinted like metal in the darkness. I tried to squint and make it out, but as we grew closer I finally knew what it was. I ran my hand down the dusty, rusty metal and shivered with the cold.

"What is it?" Heather asked. I turned back to her with a small smile.

"The end of the tunnel; we've finally reached where it leads to!"

"It leads to… a dead end?" David asked. I gave him a funny look before turning back to the large slab of metal. Giving it a push at one end, it slowly revolved open.

Everyone crowded around behind me as the "door" opened to reveal a room. Looking out, I caught my breath. The room was covered in windows (all boarded up) and held old antique metal benches and what once were plants. Many had long since died, but some had sprouted into the room wildly, taking the space over and transforming it into a jungle.

"A conservatory…" I breathed, stepping down into the room.

"A what?" Jackson asked. I almost jumped. I hadn't realized that he was next to me.

"It's kind of like a covered patio. See, the walls are made out of storm windows. Or, they were." I shrugged, tapping on the walled-in glass.

David was helping Heather out of the secret passageway, which was disguised down here as a rather large painting with an elaborate frame. A silence wrapped itself around us as we studied the room. Then, we all turned back to each other.

"Well, what now?" Heather asked.

We were answered by a distant scream. I tried to not look pale as a shiver went down my spine.

It was Peter.

* * *



Madison and I had followed the secret passageway, and I don't remember ever being as scared in my life. I was still shaken from what had happened back in the kitchen, and it didn't help that the tunnel we were in was dark and old and very narrow. I could barely see anything, even with my flashlight. That's why it was such a shock when all of a sudden the tunnel ended and we were left staring at a wall stained with bloody handprints.

Suddenly I lost it. I felt hot and cold all at once as the tunnel seemed to get smaller and darker around me. I turned around quickly, my eyes darting around fearfully. Someone must be behind us; someone was waiting there to kill us, I knew it. My breathing became shallow as Madison stared at me.

"Peter, are you alright?" she asked. I jerked away from her, pushing up against the wall, which then fell open.

I screamed as I fell down into the room, landing with a thud on the carpet. Groaning, I blinked my eyes open to see Madison gazing down at me from a part of the bookcase that was opened up. Her face was pale as she looked down around the room.

"Peter…" she said weakly. I looked around. I had fallen inside the study, landing right on the blood-stained carpet.

"Auh!" I cried, jumping to my feet. Madison leapt into the room, landing close to me. We both cowered together as we stared around us. And then there was the noise of running and people shouting, and everyone else was standing in the doorway.

We all gave little screeches as we caught sight of each other before standing still and just staring around our group. And then Madison fell against me.

"Oh…" she moaned quietly, her eyes fluttering open and close. I caught her and she smiled up at me weakly.

"I don't like this anymore." She murmured with a sad smile, her eyes finally closing.

* * *

_Mrs. Peacock sidled up closer to col. Mustard, the quiet mansion getting to her. She was the one that had found poor Reginald and she still couldn't get the image out of her head. Someone so young…_

"_Mrs. Peacock?" Mustard inquired. She glanced up at him and he noticed her red eyes. She gave a sweet smile._

"_Sorry col. Mustard, but I'm afraid I'm a little on edge ever since…" she trailed off, giving a little sob as tears escaped from the corners of her eyes. The col. melted._

_He put one of his rather large, very strong hands on the crying woman's shoulder, making her look up at him through her tears. He handed her a clean hankie from his front pocket, embroidered with an elaborate MM. _

"_Please Elizabeth," he asked, his eyes seeming very tender for a man who has spent most of his time wrestling alligators and chasing lions, "call me Michael." _

_Mrs. Peacock slowly smiled up at the large, formidable man in front of her. _

"_Of course, Michael." She spoke timidly. She normally called him Michael anyway, since she never addressed a man by anything but his first name (even if she didn't know it,), but tonight after the murder she had been suspicious and too frightened to flirt. _

_Suddenly, the lights in the very large house flickered and went out. _

"_Oh, horsefeathers!" Mustard muttered._

_

* * *

_

I felt like I was moving, and then I realized that I was being carried. I tried to open my eyes, but they felt _so_ heavy.

"You think she's alright?" I heard Jackson ask quietly from somewhere nearby.

"Yeah, it was just all the excitement. She just fainted, it'll be okay." I heard David answer.

I felt someone's eyes on me, and I shifted slightly, aware that whoever it was, it was the person who was carrying me. Their hand rubbed my arm softly, and I smiled, relaxing. Whoever it was sighed as we rounded a corner.

"Here, lay her down on the couch." Alex whispered and whoever was carrying me set me down gently on a lumpy surface, which I realized must be the worn-out couch in the lounge.

As they set my body down, they leaned in closer to me and I could smell their shampoo. I smiled and stretched out. They wrapped something around me that was warm and comforting and leaned in closer. I felt a soft hand on my face, brushing the stray hairs out of my face.

"Maddy… please be okay." Their voice hummed in my ear and then I realized that it was Peter. He had carried me here and wrapped me in my jacket that I had taken off when I had tried on the wedding dress. My eyes fluttered open and I saw him gazing at me with such tenderness in his eyes, such emotion that I had never seen before.

"Peter…" I breathed, and his face immediately masked whatever it had been showing the second before.

A loud bang sounded from upstairs and everyone froze. We all were quiet, hardly breathing, as we all listened. Very quietly we could hear careful footsteps from upstairs.

"Alright, that's it," Jackson huffed, "This place is haunted!" he threw his hands up.

"No, Jackson," Alex corrected him shakily, her eyes wide with saved-up fear, "Someone's in the house."

And then the two last candles in the lounge burnt out and the constricting darkness settled in around us.

* * *

**A/N: **Ahhhhhh! Scary! Or, at least I hope so. Fluff and creepiness are a fun combo. You go from all sweet and fluffy to cold and shivery. Anyways, another long-awaited chapter. Enjoy and review! I'll try to post another one soon, but I can't promise anything. Summer band has started. I hate band. Oh well, senior year!

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	9. the evil of the THRILLER

**Chapter Nine**

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**A/N:** another chapter! Remember, I don't own clue, only my oc's. the song in this chapter is **Thriller **by Michael Jackson, and the lyrics are (as always) in **bold. **Yea for creepy chapters! Enjoy and review!

* * *

I clicked my flashlight on, trying to keep my breathing under control.

"Everyone alright?" I asked.

"Yeah," Heather sighed, sinking to the ground.

"We're alright," Peter answered as Madison sat up next to him, her eyes wide.

Alex clicked her flashlight on next to me before looking around the room.

"Where's Jackson?" She asked. We all stopped and glanced around the room quickly. Jackson was no where in sight.

"Drat," I muttered, running out into the hallway.

"Wait, where are you going?" Heather cried out after me.

"I have to find him!"

* * *

I watched David run out and then noticed Heather as she turned her face towards the fireplace.

"What are you thinking?" I asked her as she got up. Peter and Madison watched her fearfully.

"I don't know about you Alex," She turned to me as she crawled into the tunnel, "But I want to get out of here, or at least hide somewhere safer."

I was speechless as beautiful Heather, who had clung to David in fear all night, now fearlessly walked into a pitch-black tunnel by herself without any sort of light and full knowledge of a madman running around in the house.

Staring after her as she disappeared, I gave a sigh and turned back into the room.

"Well, I guess it's just us now." I tried to smile.

Madison and Peter were gone. Great.

"Oh come on, guys! This isn't fair!" I whined, marching out into the cold hallway by myself.

* * *

I stared around the hallway as I slowly made my way to the ballroom. If only everyone could see me now; Jackson: the fearless hero!

A rat shot out in front of me and I gave a screech, jumping out of the way.

Okay, so maybe not _fearless_, but at least slightly courageous! When the lights had gone out, I had seen a shadow outside the door that seemed to be making its way towards the ballroom. I don't know why I was chasing after it; I guess I kind of thought that the others would actually respect me for it. That, and they might follow behind me so that if it did attack me, they could save me at least.

As I rounded a corner, I heard a noise and froze, listening. Was that a… piano?

**It's Close To Midnight And Something Evil's Lurking In The Dark**

I continued on more slowly this time, following the… well, it wasn't music per say. More like, creepy random keys being hit. It was freaking me out quite a bit actually. And yet my feet kept moving me forward.

**Under The Moonlight You See A Sight That Almost Stops Your Heart**

Reaching the entrance to a small room outside the ballroom, I cautiously peeked around the corner.

**You Try To Scream But Terror Takes The Sound Before You Make It**

It was a music room, but no one was inside. Pressing myself back up against the wall, my breathing became heavy.

And Alex said the house wasn't haunted!

**You Start To Freeze As Horror Looks You Right Between The Eyes,  
You're Paralyzed**

Then I turned my head to the side. Someone was standing right next to me.

**'Cause This Is Thriller, Thriller Night  
And No One's Gonna Save You From The Beast About to Strike**

**You Know It's Thriller, Thriller Night  
You're Fighting For Your Life Inside A Killer, Thriller  
Tonight**

Before I could scream, a hand was thrown over my mouth. There was a cloth, and a strong smell, and then my vision went blurry and everything went black as I collapsed.

I had my hand against the cold wall inside the secret passageway, and that was all that was guiding me. Even though I had been in complete darkness for a couple of minutes already my eyes hadn't adjusted at all. It couldn't be _that_ dark in here… could it?

**You Hear The Door Slam And Realize There's Nowhere Left To Run**

Another thing that bothered me was how cold it was in this passageway. I was freezing, even though I was wearing a thick sweater.

**You Feel The Cold Hand And Wonder If You'll Ever See The Sun**

I shivered as I continued on my way, wishing that I really had stayed inside the lounge. I mean, what was I thinking? Whoever was inside the house could be waiting for me inside this tunnel and I wouldn't even know it until I walked right into him!

**You Close Your Eyes And Hope That This Is Just imagination**

As soon as that thought popped into my head, I panicked. My legs gave out and I sunk to the ground. There was something wet on the floor and it soaked through the knees of my jeans. I was so scared I thought that it must surely be blood. My mind raced as I tried to stay calm.

**But All The While You Hear a Creature Creepin' Up behind  
You're Out Of Time**

A sob escaped my mouth and as soon as it did, something lashed out and prodded me in the side. It was sharp and I could feel it rip through my sweater. I screamed with the shock.

Someone was in here with me!

**'Cause This Is Thriller, Thriller Night  
There Ain't No Second Chance Against The Thing With the forty eyes girl**

Something stabbed at me again, and I cried out, wanting it all to stop. "Leave me alone!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, "GO AWAY!" I screamed inhumanly.

**You Know It's Thriller, Thriller Night**

Whatever was in the hallway with me paused, and I could only hear my panicked breathing. And then, something hit me on the head. I moaned as I fell to the ground completely, my face and hair falling into the wet mud.

**You're Fighting For Your Life Inside Of Killer, Thriller Tonight**

I tried to keep my eyes open, but as heavy footsteps came towards me, I found that it was easier for me to just let everything go dark.

* * *

I was in the house by myself with only a flashlight and my heavy candlestick for protection. I had almost forgotten about all the weapons we had, but as soon as I remembered, I had made sure that I had mine.

**Night Creatures Call  
And The Dead Start To Walk In Their Masquerade**

Not wanting to stay by myself, I made sure that I at least was armed with that before going out into the darkness. Now there was nothing but a silent house. I tried to keep my breathing under control, wanting to stay as quiet as possible.

**There's No Escapin' The Jaws Of The Alien This Time  
(They're Open Wide)**

I headed towards the stairs, wondering if I would be able to find anyone upstairs. I cautiously started up, but as I did, I heard someone behind me. Giving a yell, I turned around and swung the heavy candlestick at whoever was behind me.

**This Is The End Of Your Life**

He was in the shadows, so I couldn't make out his face, but I knew that he was the one who had trapped us inside. He was caught off-guard by me, I could tell, and it made me want to smile; until he swung a shovel at me. We started 'sword fighting', if you want to call it that, up the stairs.

**They're Out To Get You, There's Demons Closing In On Every Side  
**

He would force me backwards, and then I would see an opportunity and take a swing at him, making him take a few steps back downstairs. He started getting frustrated at me and that was when he swung a little too hard and caught me on my arm.

**They Will Possess You Unless You Change The Number On Your Dial**

I cried out as I fell backwards, tumbling downstairs.

**Now Is The Time For You And I To Cuddle Close Together**

My candlestick clattered down after me, coming to a stop next to my very bruised arm. I glanced back up the stairs and could've sworn he was smiling, even though I couldn't see his face. I groaned, laying my head back down as he slowly approached me.

**All Thru The Night I'll Save You From The Terror On The Screen,  
I'll Make You See**

This is it, I'm going to die.

* * *

**That This Is Thriller, Thriller Night  
'Cause I Can Thrill You More Than Any Ghost Would Dare To Try**

I swung around, my flickering flashlight not helping much.

**This Is Thriller, Thriller Night  
So Let Me Hold You Tight And Share A Killer, Diller, Chiller  
Thriller Here Tonight**

I hadn't been able to find Jackson, and now my flashlight was going out. Not only that, but I had distinctly heard yells and screams all around me from different parts of the house. I doubted if Jackson was even alive still.

**'Cause This Is Thriller, Thriller Night**

Not being one to give up easily, I kept on going… and going… and going.

**'Cause I Can Thrill You More Than Any Ghost Would Dare To Try  
Girl, This Is Thriller, Thriller Night**

Finally, as I made out the hallway that led to the kitchen, my flashlight beam caught someone's shadow. I gave a sigh of relief and walked faster.

**So Let Me Hold You Tight And Share A Thriller**

"At last, I was thinking I was the only one left in here," I smiled at who I guessed was Peter. Then he turned around and my smile fell.

_Not Peter._

I turned to run, but as I did, something caught my feet and tripped me.

**I'm going to thrill you tonight**

I landed hard on the wooden floor, a layer of dust rising around me. I turned onto my back and tried to kick whoever this guy was.

**Darkness Falls Across The Land  
The Midnight Hour Is Close At Hand  
Creatures Crawl In Search Of Blood  
To Terrorize Y'all's Neighbourhood**

Instead, he caught my foot, and smiled. I stared up fearfully as he slowly twisted my leg. It popped and cracked and I yelled out as pain flooded through my ankle. And then, there was a sharp pain in my jaw as the man punched me.

**And Whosoever Shall Be Found  
Without The Soul For Getting Down  
**

My vision was immediately flooded with bright flashing lights and I had the vague sensation of being dragged on the ground back the way I had come. I groaned, but could barely do anything else.

**Must Stand And Face The Hounds Of Hell  
And Rot Inside A Corpse's Shell**

* * *

Peter practically dragged me behind him as we ran down the hallway. I knew where he was leading us, and that almost made me more scared than whoever it was inside the house with us.

"Peter," I gasped, trying to catch my breath, "Why are going to the study?"

He didn't answer me, instead only running faster. I tried to stay with him, and was thankful when we finally reached the small room. Going inside, he quickly shut the door. Then, picking me up, he placed me inside the secret passageway that was still open.

He crawled up next to me, standing extremely close.

I tried to breathe as he gazed down at me. I stared up at him, puzzled as the emotion I had seen earlier returned to his face.

"Peter…" I started. He held a hand up to my lips, stopping me.

"Wait, let me talk. We don't have much time." He glanced out into the dark room nervously as if aware something bad were about to happen. "Listen closely. When whoever's in the house with us comes in here, I want you to stay hidden right here, no matter what."

**The Foulest Stench Is In The Air  
The Funk Of Forty Thousand Years  
And Grizzy Ghouls From Every Tomb  
Are Closing In To Seal Your Doom**

"But-"

"Maddy, he won't find you if he thinks I'm by myself. Now, you can't make any noise and try not to move too much, or he might find you. After he's gone, wait ten more minutes until you come out. I know what he's after; He wants the will. You need to find it Maddy; I read in one of those old newspapers in my attic that it disappeared around the time of whatever murder happened here. Find that, and we have a bargaining chip."

**And Though You Fight To Stay Alive  
Your Body Starts To Shiver**

"Peter, this is insane! Are you saying that you're going out there by yourself just to save me?" I demanded. He glanced down.

**For No Mere Mortal Can Resist**

**The Evil Of The Thriller**

"Yeah," he answered weakly. I slowly gathered my breath .

"Why?" I asked, unable to hide my tears. He paused, and suddenly I knew that he was just as scared as me.

"Because I don't want you to get hurt." He finally said, his voice broken.

"Peter…" I only got that much out before I started to cry.

He raised a shaky hand up to my face, wiping a tear away hesitantly.

"Maddy, I-I…" he took a deep breath, "I want you in my life. You're my best friend, and… I'd like to be… _more_, than that, if you want." He replied softly. Then there were footsteps in the hallway and I was pushed further inside the tunnel as Peter hopped back into the room. He threw one last look back at me as he swung the passage door close.

I stood speechless where I was. Peter… _liked_ me? _Me_?

I blinked, a few more tears falling down my face. Then, my knees gave out as I sunk to the floor. I heard the study door slam open and Peter gave a small yell of fear. I straightened up, realizing what type of danger he was in.

"No, no! Stay away!" he screamed. I bit my lip, wanting to scream myself. I needed to save him, and yet, I needed to stay here so I could have a chance to save everyone else. I listened to the struggle inside the room with agony. And then Peter cried out, and I started to cry silently to myself, curling up on the floor of the tunnel. I heard a choking noise and Peter's breathing become more and more shallow. And then, silence. I buried my head in my arms.

I pleaded silently with God that Peter was still alive, that he was going to be okay, that we would make it out of here together.

Peter Plum…_ liked _me. And I was too stupid to see it before, and now he was gone. I stayed still, crying for what seemed an eternity, and then the lights inside the study flickered on. I sat up, blinking at the unfamiliar sight of electric lights. Something was happening; and I needed to find that will before anyone else did.

* * *

_Green had told her that they were to stay in pairs, and yet she had hardly seen him at all the entire night. If Mrs. White were to blame anybody for the murder, it'd be Jonathan Green. Why, the only reason he was invited was because he had weaseled his way into the will!_

_Sure, others might expect her. Everybody in Raven Brook knew that she didn't respect Reginald all that much; she didn't even like him. But hate him enough to _murder _him? That was a bit much. _

_Blanche walked slowly over to a self in the corner of the lounge, gently picking up a picture. It was of a younger Reginald Boddy, one with his sister. She hadn't been invited tonight. Some would say that it was because Mr. Boddy didn't approve of her husband, but Mrs. White knew better._

_The whole reason Reginald was having this party was to be murdered. She had found out by accident of course, but she had found out nonetheless. Reginald was sick; terminally ill. Cancer of the lung. He was not to be expected to live even two more months. _

_Mr. Boddy, being the great man that he was, wanted a heroic death. Not one where he was left cowering and in pain. And so here Blanche White was, chained to a possible murderer as they uselessly tried to solve this crime by themselves. _

_Well, she was innocent; why should she not call the police right now? _

_As the thought entered her head, she immediately picked up the phone. Starting to dial, she was prepared to tell all. And then the lights went out._

"_Aw, Horsefeathers!" she muttered, slamming the receiver back down._

* * *

**A/N: **There you go, part of the mystery solved. We now know why Reginald was pratically waiting to be murdered by his bloodthirsty guests. But which one did the murdering? Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed it. Please review and tell me how I did. Another chapter's on it's way!

* * *


	10. Meet Alfred Black

**Chapter Ten**

* * *

**A/N:** I don't own clue.

* * *

Everyone was slowly waking up. I had stayed awake the entire time as the man had tied my hands and feet together. I had been dragged back into the lounge where an unconscious Jackson and equally unconscious Heather were already waiting for me. Next came a slightly dazed, but still conscious, David. And last of all, a very pale and (you guessed it), unconscious Peter.

Madison hadn't been caught.

The man had disappeared long enough for me and David to exchange a few worried words and a groggy Jackson to come back to life. As the electricity was booted on, Peter groaned and slowly sat up. He blinked as he gazed around, but didn't seem surprised by our situation.

The man came back into the room as Heather joined us in the land of the living. I caught my breath as he entered and closed the door behind him.

"I TOLD you it was the gardener!" Jackson cried out triumphantly.

The creepy gardener was indeed the one standing in front of us, milky-eyed and all. He carried with him a cane that came to a very dangerously sharp point. I glanced quickly over at Heather who was not in the best of shape. One half of her body was covered in mud and her sweater had been ripped and her torso stabbed. He must've used the cane to attack her.

"I see that you've all woken back up," he smiled around at us. No, not smiled, _smirked_. And an evil smirk at that.

"What're you doing to us? Why have you done this?" David demanded, trying to struggle his way out of the rope.

"Now, now," The man shushed him. "All will soon be explained. What I want to know is where the girl is, the one I haven't found yet." He started to pace.

"Why should we tell you?" Peter demanded, a little too boldly. The man turned back to him, giving him a blistering glare.

"You know where she is, don't you?" he threatened Peter, "You probably hid her yourself and then distracted me just so that she wouldn't be caught, didn't you?"

Peter looked away. The gardener reached out and twisted Peter's face back towards him.

"Why?"

When Peter didn't answer him, he suddenly thrust his cane to the boy's throat.

"Why would you do that?" he asked a third time.

Peter stared at the man a minute longer before finally hanging his head in defeat. I could see that his breathing had become heavier.

"Because I-I… I love her." He whispered, redness creeping onto his face in embarrassment. The gardener stared at him a long moment before suddenly straightening back up and bursting out in wild laughter. Everyone in the room didn't quite know how to react.

"You love her? You _love_ her?!" he roared before quieting himself quickly. "This is all that love can get you!" he yelled, swinging a powerful arm out at Peter. It slammed into his face with a nauseating _crack _that made his head snap to the side. We all winced as Peter's closed eyes started dripping in tears.

It was humiliating for him. We all knew about his feelings for Madison, but making him confess them out loud was humiliating and cruel.

The man stared around at us with wild eyes. We were all avoiding everyone's glances.

"What, nobody wants to tell me?" he laughed. "Well, that's alright with me. I'll find her... eventually!"

I stared at Peter as he slowly blinked his eyes open. Turning his face back around, I could already see a dark bruise blossoming on his cheek and around his eye. His head remained low and I could see that the tears were still running down his face. Anger swelled up inside of me.

"Who are you?" I asked loudly, determined to draw attention away from Peter.

The man turned his one good eye to stare at me and I squirmed a little.

"I am Alfred Black, the groundskeeper here." He replied, his voice returning to normal.

I saw that David was gazing over at the battered Heather and I glanced over quickly myself. I got just a good enough look to notice the glint of her ornate dagger, still tucked away into a side pocket on her jeans. With all the struggle, it had started to fall out. A plan suddenly popped into my head. I turned back to the gardener quickly.

"Okay, that doesn't explain very much. Why have you tied us up? How did you become the groundskeeper?" I stalled, nonchalantly scooting closer to Heather.

"You want to know how I became the groundskeeper? I'll tell you. You see, my mother married about a year before Alfred here threw this little shin-dig, and he didn't even care to invite her. You see, she was his sister, which would make me his nephew. I wasn't born until almost ten years after the murder; you do know about the murder, don't you?" he asked us, taking a seat in an ornate chair.

We all looked around at each other, shrugging. Alfred gave a sigh.

"Mr. Boddy was murdered here the night of his dinner party by one of his guests; one of your ancestors." He told us grimly. Everyone's eyes opened in surprise.

"But- but, that means…" Jackson furrowed his brow.

"That one of you is going to be _very _sorry." He glared at all of us. A collective gulp was heard. "Now, you'd think that he'd remember his dear little sis in his will, wouldn't you? Well, he didn't!" he slammed a fist on the table, making everyone jump.

I gently nudged Heather. When she looked over at me, I gestured slightly at the dagger around her waist. For a moment she thought about what I could possibly want with a dagger, and then her eyes opened in surprise. A little twist of her waist, and the knife slid into my open hands.

"The will was never found; again the work of your sniveling grandparents, no doubt. And so we lost everything with the depression. My father left and the only work we could find was here at the dilapidated house of my uncaring uncle." He spat, his face sour. I started to saw away at the rope that held my hands together behind my back. Alfred glanced back up at all of us.

"I've been watching you, all of you, all night. You all have a streak of your ancestors. My mother would tell me about all of them over and over again until I knew each of them by heart." He slowly stood and walked over to David first.

"Michael Mustard, a strong, brave man who could never look weak in front of others." He moved on to Jackson, "Elizabeth Peacock, a woman who was frightened of everything and cowardly enough to cling onto others for protection." Next came Peter, "Peter Plum… indeed, you have his very name, but not all of his forgetfulness. No, you seemed to inherit his annoyingly constant compassion to a woman who never knew he loved her." And then, he was standing in front of me. I stopped sawing through the rope and hid the dagger in my cupped hands, "Ah, Blanche White. You are perhaps the one most like your ancestor. You're just as quick-witted and stupidly brave as she once was, always needing to be in charge. She often openly mocked my uncle." He gave me a glare before ending up in front of Heather. "And Ms. Evelyne Scarlet. Indeed, you are just as beautiful and courageous as she was."

He stepped back into the middle of the room, fixing us all with a stare. I was so close to snapping through the rope…

"The only one who surprises me is that girl, Madison, or whatever her name is." He thought aloud, "Jonathan Green was a ruthless brat who always had to get his way, even if it meant hurting someone. He was a heartless jerk who nobody liked. In fact, after Scarlet's father died, he took all of his business partner's money and opened a speakeasy with it. Threatened Scarlet to keep her quiet, eventually killing her with the stress of it all."

The rope broke that held my hands together. I didn't move, waiting until the right opportunity. I quietly passed the knife to Peter.

"And yet, that girl doesn't seem to be anything like him. In fact, she's just the opposite. Innocent, nice, caring… I was hoping to extract most of my revenge on her, yet she does share one trait with Green. She somehow weaseled her way out of my reach."

Peter finished sawing through his rope before passing the dagger to Jackson. Alfred got up and walked slowly over to Peter. He kneeled down in front of him with a wide grin.

"You know, when I find her, I think I'll start by putting her in that pretty little wedding dress she tried on up there in the attic; the one that you liked so much." Peter glared at the man with so much hate I had never seen in him before, "And after that, I think I'll just slit her neck with my cane right here, and watch her beautiful blood run everywhere."

I turned pale as he spoke so calmly, my entire body felt cold and a shiver went down my spine. This man was totally insane! Apparently Peter thought so to because he lunged at the guy, a strangled yell escaping his throat. And that was all it took.

I slipped the rope off of my feet and rushed to help Peter who had started to wrestle Alfred to the ground. Jackson finished freeing himself before going over and helping David out of his bindings. After stealing Alfred's cane, I rushed over and cut through Heather's bindings.

"Are you alright?" I asked her hurriedly, glancing down at her cuts.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she nodded, standing quickly.

"We have to go find Madison; Come on!" I pulled on her hand, dragging her out into the hallway with me. I almost ran into Jackson. We all gave a small scream.

"Jackson, what're you doing?" I asked him, out of breath.

"Do either of you have a cell phone? I'm going to call the police!" he replied quickly, his gaze jumping from my face to Heather's. A small smile twitched onto my face. Jackson was being… heroic?

"Here, you go." Heather quickly tossed him her bright pink phone. He caught it and then nodded to us as Alfred, David, and Peter came bursting out into the hallway in an all-out brawl.

"Alright, I'm going to lock myself in the bathroom!" He waved back at us as he ran away.

Okay, so maybe not _heroic_, but at least slightly courageous.

* * *

I rushed into the small closet-sized bathroom, slamming the door and locking it as I caught my breath. The fight out in the hallway was growing louder; they were getting closer. I glanced around, and found that the only place to sit was on the dilapidated toilet.

Holding my breath, I reached out and shut the lid. Sitting down, I opened up Heather's cell phone. My fingers shaking, I punched in 9-1-1 as fast as I could. Something banged against the door and I cried out, backing away from it slightly.

"Hello, 9-1-1," an operator answered. I took a shaky breath. "Is this an emergency?"

"Yes!" I shouted, something being thrown against the door again. "Yes, we've been locked inside this house and now this madman is attacking us, and…"

"Where are you calling from?" the operator asked, cutting me off.

"Um," I suddenly blanked on the address, "It's, we… the Boddy mansion, in Raven Brook! I don't know the address!" I yelled. A knife was shoved through the door and I screamed.

"Is everything alright sir?"

"No, someone just tried to stab me!" I cried out hysterically.

"Alright, I'll send someone right over."

"Oh thank you." I sighed, hanging up. And then I looked down at the floor. A large rat was staring up at me.

"Ahhhh!" I screeched, jumping up on the toilet lid. This house did not like me.

* * *

David and I had wrestled Alfred into the billiard room after he practically destroyed the bathroom door, trying to get to Jackson before Jackson got to the police. Anyways, we were now defending ourselves with what few pool sticks we could find.

"How're you doing?" David grunted as we attempted to jab the gardener to death.

"Alright," I nodded, wincing on the sore side of my face.

My mind wasn't on myself right now, but Madison. I had practically spilled my guts out to her in the study and now she probably thought I was dead, but at least she was safe. At least she hadn't been in the lounge when… when I had said what I had said. It made my face go pale thinking about how she'd react to me saying something like that to her.

And then a pool ball flew past my head. I shook myself out of my thoughts and tried to concentrate on what was going on. David had fallen down next to me, his pool stick broken in half. I glanced back over at the gardener.

Alfred picked up one end of the pool table.

"No way…" David and I breathed out in unison.

And then, the table was thrust towards us as the very disturbed man rushed out into the hallway. We both ducked as the large table came crashing towards us. There was a loud noise, and a few pool balls fell, and then it was quiet.

Looking up, I saw that David and I were stuck underneath the table, which had been stopped by the wall from collapsing down on top of us. David sighed.

"Great, now what?"

"Guys, are you in here?" we heard Alex cry out.

"Yeah, over, I mean, under here!" I called out to her, trying to climb around the bulky piece of furniture. Alex rushed over towards us, helping us pry the table out of the way.

"Heather's trying to coax Jackson out of the bathroom." She explained, offering David her hand.

"Where did Alfred go?" I asked her hurriedly, glancing past her into the hallway.

"He was heading towards the stairs, or something; maybe the attic?" she offered.

"We have to hurry," I said before running out of the room. He was after Madison.



* * *

_Peter and Evelyne were in the library when it happened. Scarlet happened to pull a heavy book out from one of the shelves, and found it to be a little too heavy. It fell out of her hands and clattered to the floor, landing on Prof. Plum's foot. _

_The young man gave a yell as he tumbled onto his back, landing on the floor with a dull _thud_. Evelyne opened her mouth in surprise before stooping down next to him._

"_Oh my, I didn't hurt you, did I?" she asked timidly, blinking as Peter fixed her with a gaze. He slowly lifted a shaky hand out to her face, gently placing one of her curls delicately behind her small ear. The two stared at each other for a long moment before Scarlet glanced down. Peter sighed._

"_Here, let me help you up," The young woman offered an outstretched arm to the professor. He took hold of it and stood up hastily, unfortunately causing a large bulky object to fall out of his coat pocket. It landed on the ground with a metal _clunk_, and made the couple freeze._

_Scarlet's eyes fell down to stare. The object had been messily wrapped up in Peter Plum's untidy handkerchief, which happened at this moment to be covered in a dark sticky substance. For a moment everything remained still, and then Scarlet bent over and unfolded the handkerchief._

_It was the wrench. _

_It was the wrench, and it was covered in blood; blood and hair. _

_Scarlet blinked her eyes a few times, trying to banish the tears in the corners, but as she turned her gaze back to the man that she loved, she felt an anger overtake her. Standing again, she pushed professor Plum up against the shelves of the dark library. He avoided her glares as best as he could._

"_Why, why did you do it?" The scared woman demanded, sure that the boy in front of her had just ruined his life; both of their lives. He didn't answer her, only stared off to the side._

"_Peter," She demanded again, her voice straining, "Why?" _

_As he gazed into her tearful eyes, Peter could feel himself breakdown. _

"_Because… he had the will, and he wanted to be killed." He replied softly. "He had the will, and I knew how much you needed it. I figured if I didn't, Jonathan would be the one who murdered him." He spoke slowly and deliberately. Scarlet stared into his emotional eyes, trying to understand._

"_Want the will? No, Peter, what I want is you!" she cried, burying her head into the young man's shoulder. He was quiet for a moment as the usually strong and fearless woman sobbed into his coat. And then his arms wrapped themselves hesitantly around her shaking body, running his fingers through her short hair._

"_I-I'm sorry…" he whispered, letting his head fall onto her shoulder. The two remained embraced until all their tears were shed. And then, as they slowly locked eyes on each other again, a silent pact was made between them._

_The will was inside Peter's other coat pocket. They would get rid of his handkerchief, clean the wrench, and hide the will. Maybe then no one would find out, and they could have each other._

* * *

I went immediately to the attic. I had a feeling that the will would be up there somewhere. That, and it was the farthest away from the bad guy. Or, at least it felt like it. As I re-entered the chilly room, my eyes found the old steamer trunk that Peter and I had sat down together on so short ago.

The wind picked up outside and I could hear it howling through the torn wall. Glancing out into the night, I could see that another storm had blown in, and it had begun to lightning and thunder. Shivering, I turned my attention back to the trunk.

I kneeled down in front of it before slowly unclasping the locks and lifting the heavy lid. Glancing inside, I held my breath.

Nothing.

I huffed, blowing a strand of hair out of my face. Closing the lid with a creak, I gazed around the room. Where would I hide the will? Well, who hid the will anyway?

I looked down at my feet to find Scarlet's journal. What if Scarlet had been the one to hide the will? Where would she put it so that no one would ever find it? My gaze lifted off the floor, and my eyes locked onto the wedding dress. I lifted an eyebrow, wondering if it was too crazy of an idea.

Looking around, I stood and walked over towards the mannequin again. Studying the dress, I started going through the folds. Where would you hide a will?

And then, as my hand traced over the waist-line, I felt something strangely stiff. Giving it a tug, an ancient slip of paper slid away from its secret hiding place. I smiled and almost laughed in amazement; I had found it!

Suddenly, there was a creak behind me as someone stepped into the room. My smile faded as I realized that I was holding our bargaining chip out where it could be easily taken. Glancing down at myself, I quickly tucked it into my bra, hoping that it was hidden well enough away. Clutching my jacket closer to my shaking body, I turned around.

The gardener was standing in front of me, smiling and staring with his one good eye.

"Hey there, pretty girl. What are you doing up here all by yourself? It's dangerous."

* * *

**A/N:** Oh no! Madison's been cornered by the creepy bad guy! What will she do?! I'll tell you if you review (hint, hint)!

* * *


	11. six small coffins

**Chapter Eleven**

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**A/N**: We're winding down, even though the action is just getting started! I'm hoping to stretch this story out for two more chapters, that way it'll be 13 chapters long (oh, creepy)! Alright, here you go! Remember, I don't own clue, only my original characters. Remember to review; it'll keep the bad guy away!

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I was running ahead of the group, only one thought in my head. Madison. I pictured her being attacked by Alfred, and that made me run only that much faster. Unfortunately, I happened to run over an extremely unsturdy piece of the floor.

I cried out as the hardwood gave way under my weight and I fell down into darkness. I landed in what felt like soft dirt, and groaned as I rolled onto my back. Someone landed next to me, no doubt falling in right behind me without being able to stop in time. Glancing over, I saw Alex sputter as she tried to gather herself back up. Wherever we were, it smelled horribly.

I crawled over to her, helping her to her feet as we both looked around.

"Are you guys okay?" Heather called down to us. I looked up at her, and saw that we were around ten feet below the ground floor.

"Yeah, we're alright." Alex coughed, brushing her shirt off.

"I don't know how we're going to get out, but we're okay at least," I shrugged up at her.

"Don't worry; we're going to go find something to pull you out with!" David called down to us. "Jackson can stay here and keep watch, just in case." He nodded at me.

"I-I can?" Jackson gulped. Alex and I smiled over at each other, despite the situation.

I looked around again, trying to squint through the darkness.

"Here," Alex pulled a small box of matches out of her pocket. "I think we could stand to shed some light on the situation." She gave me another small smile. I took the box from her slowly.

"Thanks," I nodded, striking a match shakily. The sudden burst of light, though small, gave us enough to see what was around us. Alex's eyes widened and all the breath in my lungs seemed to be sucked right out of me.

To one side of the small secret space we were in, in the soft dirt that made up the floor, there were six shallow open graves. Each one held a crudely-made pine coffin, and all seemed to be slowly rotting apart. I now knew what the awful smell was.

The match went out.

I quickly lit another one. Alex paled and then made a gagging sound as her legs buckled and she fell to the ground. I seemed to be frozen in place, transfixed in horror at what we were staring at. Slowly my legs started to move mechanically forward.

I glanced at the first grave. Carved into the wood of the coffin was: _Blanche White, Enemy. _I quickly lit another match before moving to the next one. _Jonathan Green, Parasite. _Shivering, I glanced at the next two quickly. _Michael Mustard, Fraud _and _Elizabeth Peacock, Self-centered _were scrawled into the wood. Holding my breath, I approached the second to last one. _Evelyne Scarlet, Vain_. I knew who was in the last coffin, and still I couldn't stop myself from gazing down at it.

Etched onto the front of the coffin was _Peter Plum, Murderer_.

My blood turned to ice as I stared down at my name. And then I sunk to the floor, dropping the match as it went out. I was aware of Alex scuffling around in the dark, her hands searching for the matchbox in a dead panic, but my mind was somewhere else.

And then there was the sound of a match being struck and there was a small light again. Alex knelt down in front of me, her eyes still so large I could see white all the way around her pupils.

"Peter, Peter, are you okay?" she whispered, almost as if she were being afraid of being heard. I met her gaze reluctantly.

"I- my… he was the murderer…" I mumbled, my brain still trying to comprehend what I had just found out. She glanced behind us at the coffin that bared my name before facing me again.

"I-I…" she trailed off, not quite knowing what to say. I closed my eyes, letting my head fall into my hands.

"Who would do this? Who on earth would do this?" I asked quietly, my voice broken. Alex was quiet before answering me.

"I'm guessing, since the wood is old, but the people must still have been young, it was Mr. Boddy's sister. Think about it; she lost everything in the depression and she engraved a hate into her son that made him want to do this to us." She attempted. I exhaled deeply, looking back up as she lit another match.

"I just… this is too much. I don't think I can handle many more surprises." I told her, my voice straining. She nodded slowly.

"Agreed," she sighed.

We settled into silence, our thoughts wrapping themselves around us. But that only lasted for a few moments.

"You guys are still alive down there, aren't you?" Jackson called down to us from the floor above. We both glanced up quickly to see his face peering over the edge at us. We gave a small smile.

"Yeah, so long as Heather and David get back soon; we want to get out of here as fast as possible." Alex called back up to him.

"Don't worry, I see them coming with some rope," Jackson nodded down at us. Alex lit another match before I blinked and then took a shuddering breath. She turned back to me in surprise as I tried to blink away a few tears.

"Peter, what's wrong?" she asked as I lowered my head.

"It's… Madison is still out there somewhere and- that guy…" I broke off, breathing heavily. "I just don't want her to get hurt, that's all." I mumbled, giving a slight sigh. Alex gave me a tender look before putting a hand on my shoulder.

"It'll be okay Peter; we'll find her." She gave me an encouraging smile. I smiled back.

"Guys, here's some rope!" David called down to us. "Wrap it around your arm one at a time and we'll pull you up." He explained as the coarse cord was lowered down to us. I offered it to Alex first.

"You sure?" she asked, surprised.

"Yeah," I nodded. She smiled at me before handing me the matchbox. I lit another match as they started to lift her up.

"Alex," I called out after her. She glanced down at me quickly. "…thank you." I whispered. She smiled and gave a quick nod before being pulled to the top.

* * *

_The bedraggled group of party guests slowly reassembled themselves in the lounge, weary of looking around in a dark house by themselves. They all wanted this night to be over, but they had yet to solve any crime. Jonathan was pacing around the room, his eyes wild._

"_I-I don't understand… there has to be something, somewhere…" he muttered._

"_Just give it up," Blanche White huffed, leaning against the fireplace, "If it wasn't you, there wouldn't be any reason to worry." She started to study her nails in boredom. Mr. Green turned towards the nonchalant lady quickly._

"_Are you accusing me of the murder?" he demanded, his nerves consuming him. White slowly met his glare._

"_Calm down, I wasn't accusing you of anything. Although I was wondering where you were all night; you told us to split up into pairs, and yet I spent most of the time by myself." She said, her eyes narrowing._

"_You weren't with her?" Peacock's face paled, "You-you _must _be the murderer!" she stood, pointing a finger at the man standing in front of the group. He spun quickly to face her._

"_Oh don't point fingers at me Peacock!" he spat, thrusting her arm down, "You were the one to find him. How do we all know that it wasn't you?" _

"_You're accusing _me _of murdering Reginald?" she cried._

"_Now just wait one minute there young man!" the colonel burst in, but Jonathan cut him off._

"_And you, why are you defending her?" he shouted at the large muscular big-game hunter. Then, he sent an accusatory stare around the room. "How should I trust any of you when any of you could be the murderer!" he yelled. Everyone was quiet as they stared at the panting man in front of them._

_And then there was a knock on the large front door and someone with a hearty voice shouting._

"_This is the Police; is anyone in there?" _

* * *

As soon as we had gotten Peter out of the hole he had fallen into, he was on his feet and running back down the hallway. I was having trouble keeping up with him, even though I was in track. I glanced behind me and saw that Alex, Heather, and Jackson were losing distance behind us.

"Peter, hey Peter!" I called up to him, "Slow down, we're losing everyone else!"

Peter turned back around and jogged in place for about half a second before continuing on his way. I gave a huff as I slowed to a stop. The rest of the group caught up with me as I was catching my breath.

"You alright David?" Heather panted. I gave a nod before starting to move forward again.

It wasn't long before we caught up with Peter outside a door. He was tugging painfully away on the knob.

"It's locked," He sighed, taking a step back.

Thank you, captain obvious.

"No problem," Heather smiled, stepping forward. I saw her draw out her wallet and retrieve her student ID card. Stepping towards the door, she jiggled the card in between the lock and the wall. Suddenly there was a click and the door swung open. Heather smiled proudly as she put her ID away, holding the door open as we all ran in.

Peter again led us up the stairs and to the attic. I was concentrating on my feet when I ran into him. Almost falling over, I glanced up at him. He was frozen at the top of the stairs, staring into the cluttered room.

"What is it?" Jackson asked from behind me.

"The room, it's empty…" Peter murmured, stepping fully into the room. We all glanced around us, not seeing anyone.

"I don't get it," Alex sighed, sitting down on top of a steamer trunk, "I could've sworn that Alfred was heading for the attic." Her brow furrowed.

"Well, where would they go? It's not like they're on the roof or anything," Jackson gave a small laugh. We all turned to stare at him. His smile faded. "What?"

Behind Jackson there was a large gap where part of the wall had been torn open to reveal the spine of the roof, leading all the way out to a tower. Although raining heavily outside, we could all clearly make out the silhouettes of two people balancing precariously on the rooftop.

"Madison!" Peter cried out, running for the hole in the wall quickly. Jackson glanced behind his back.

"Oh…" he sighed, his face paling.

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**A/N:** Another chapter done! Even though it was short, this extra chapter helped me to explain a lot more about the story. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, and even if you didn't, review!

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	12. When lightning strikes

**Chapter Twelve**

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**A/N:** Second to last chapter, are you ready? I am. Sorry that it's taken me over a year to finish, but hey, I got it done. Last flashback in here; are you guys sad? Don't worry, I'll have the flashback characters in the last chapter too (just not in a flashback!)! Oh! I almost forgot to tell you… I don't own clue. Alright, enjoy!

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One second we had been in the attic, and the next we were out on the wet rooftop. I must've crawled out here to get away from the menacing gardener, but I don't remember. There was too much adrenaline in my blood.

I could feel the ancient slip of paper against my cold chest, and butterflies seemed to explode in my stomach. I was shaking, but if it was from terror, excitement, or cold I wasn't sure. The man was staring me down as he slowly but surely inched his way farther out towards me.

And then, someone crawled out of the attic.

"Madison!" I heard Peter scream. Both the man and I turned to stare at Peter who was trying to get his footing on the slippery green tiled roof.

"What are you doing boy?" the groundskeeper yelled at him, a slow smile crawling onto his crooked face. Peter finally stood as he gained balance, glaring at the old man that stood between me and the attic.

"I'm trying to save my friend." He stated, pure hatred in his eyes as he glared at the gardener. And then there was a crack of lightning and the groundskeeper was stalking towards Peter.

"Peter," I yelled, my voice sounding strange and faraway, "watch out!" The wind whipped my words and wet hair around my face, making it hard to see.

The old man had reached Peter, and the two were trying to fight without losing their footing. I watched in frozen horror as they fought their way further out onto the roof again. Just when I thought that Peter might win, he took too big a step and stumbled. Falling to his knees, his leg slipped off the roof. He glanced quickly back up at the groundskeeper.

"Careful boy," the man smiled, "watch your step."

And with that, he kicked Peter in the side. Peter made a painful sound somewhere between a cry and a grunt as his hands scrabbled over the tiles, struggling to keep their grip as he tried to find his breath. And then, his body neatly fell over to the side and he tumbled down the roof, and over the edge.

I was breathing heavily as I stared at him disappearing, trying to comprehend what was happening. But as he fell past the edge, my gaze snapped away. I didn't want to see my friend die, not like this. I closed my eyes, letting my tears spill over onto my face.

And then the gardener's cruel chuckle brought me back to reality. I opened my eyes to find the groundskeeper staring at me.

"You kids need to learn how to be more careful. Didn't your mother ever tell you how easily a life is lost?"

I stared forward hollowly as he walked towards me.

* * *

_The not-quite-as-young lady slowly walked up the marble steps that led to the worn-out front door. She stared straight ahead, her thoughts on what had happened the last time she was here. Without its owner, the mansion had long since seen better days. _

_Opening the door slowly, she timidly walked inside to find the others already waiting. There was a much older woman whose once-red hair had now faded to gray, a still-muscular but definitely quite older big game hunter, a still-young looking man who had the sense of greed forever stained in his dark eyes, a woman whose startlingly white hair was pinned up inside a gray pillbox hat, and finally a more matured and slightly taller boy whose unkempt hair and thick spectacles still made a rare smile light up the girl's solemn face._

_She joined the group silently. Indeed, the meeting had the feel of a funeral rather than the cheerful occasion it was meant to be. The woman stole a few glances at the man named Plum and happily realized that there was no wedding ring around his fingers. Indeed, it thrilled her because her last name was still Scarlet and it was not too late to be married to a man at her age._

"_Well, I wonder where on earth our host could be." Peacock said, her voice much more weary than it had once been. _

"_If she doesn't show in the next ten minutes I'm leaving." Mr. Green stated bluntly, even his voice cold. Scarlet shivered, pulling her woolen shawl closer around her shoulders as she stole a glance outside a window. The sky was grey and the trees were bare. The mansion itself seemed to be dead along with its owner. _

_Plum slunk next to Scarlet inconspicuously. Glancing down at the tired woman he had once loved, he cautiously cleared his throat._

"_So, how is your life?" he asked her quietly. She glanced up at him, a warmth hidden behind her eyes, "Oh, it's been quite dreary. My brother has gotten married and has himself a baby boy already, but it's been quite dreary for me." She quickly explained, a leap of hope in her heart. _

"_So… you never married?" the man asked her._

"_No; I just haven't found who I'm looking for yet, I suppose." She sighed. _

"_Well you better find him soon before you grow much older," Mrs. Peacock muttered, "Goodness knows that men only marry beautiful young girls nowadays."_

_All at once there was a slam behind the group and they all turned to see a rather plain woman with short brown hair dressed in a gray cardigan and a rather ugly green frock locking the front door. She turned to them, pasting on a very small smile. In fact, it was more of a very tight line on her face than a smile. _

"_Mrs. Grayson?" Mr. Green ventured, reaching his hand out to shake._

"_No, I'm afraid my husband left me some time ago. I go by Boddy again." She corrected him, certain darkness behind her calm face. "If you'll all follow me into the living room, I'll show you the will. Took me forever to find it." She muttered, leading the hesitant group behind her. _

_Plum knew something was wrong as they entered the large open room. In the middle of it some of the hardwood floor had been pried away, creating an opening to a large hole. Next to the hole was a pile of boards that used to be in the floor and a large black box. _

"_Ms. Boddy… what's going on?" he turned to the woman. She stared at him._

"_Really Peter, I would've thought that you had it all figured out by now." She smiled coldy at him. "Since they declared the case unsolved, finding none of you responsible for my brother's murder, I've been trying to figure it out. I know it was one of you." She told the group, fixing them with a stare. _

"_Um, Ms. Boddy? The will…" Mr. Green persisted. She turned sharply to the impatient man._

"_Mr. Green, I think I'll start with you," she smiled._

"_Start?" he asked as she bent over the black box. She brought out a heavy lead pipe, testing its weight with her hands. Mr. Green's eyes widened at the sight of the weapon. _

"_This… was your weapon. And so it shall be your death." She said. Mr. Green tried to back up, tried to escape, but it was already too late. She threw the pipe at his head, and it connected with his skull in a dull _crack _that stopped him dead in his tracks. _

_Scarlet stared at the cruel man's eyes, which seemed not as dark as before. Already blood was flowing down from his hairline. _

_And then he collapsed onto the floor, dead._

_Everyone stared down at the body in silence for a moment, their minds not quite comprehending what had just happened. And then a gasp was heard and Peacock fell to her knees as the rope tightened around her neck._

"_No, stop!" Mustard cried out, rushing towards the woman who was killing the older lady. A shot rang out, and he yelled as he clutched his arm in pain. Peacock's eyes dulled as she fell to the ground, her breathe barely there._

_And then there were other screams and other awful sounds, but Scarlet could see nothing but Mr. Green, dead at her feet. And then there was a pain in her chest and she looked up to see Ms. Boddy standing there, her eyes far darker than Mr. Green's ever were; revenge is far stronger than greed._

_She was holding the dagger to Scarlet's heart, ready to plunge it into her chest at any moment. Scarlet just laughed at the woman, a desperate, humorless laugh._

"_Go ahead, kill me! I've been dead for years already." She said quietly. And then the dagger broke through her tender pale skin, staining her dress with her own scarlet red blood. As she fell, she saw Plum on the floor beside her, his head bleeding and his eyes staring far-off. The sight terrified her so much that she became cold with fright._

"_Peter," Scarlet cried, except she was already so weak that it sounded nothing more than an inaudible whisper._

"_Evelyne…" he exhaled, his last breath. Weakly his hand snaked towards her, and he laid it on her own blood-stained hand. The tears fell off her face as she stared at the dead man who had once loved her. _

_But the heartbreak only lasted a moment. _

_Slowly, the pain grew fuzzy along with her vision. As her eyes continued to stare at the lifeless eyes that were staring back at her, she died. _

_Ms. Boddy was surrounded by six bodies and various puddles of blood. She panted, staring around at what she had done, before gathering the weapons up and methodically cleaning them off. She placed each one back into its original box, closed the lid, and laid to rest the last of her brother's enemies._

* * *

I felt so cold, and yet there was nothing to do about it as I watched the gardener stalk towards me. All I could do was watch as his meaty hands were brought out towards my neck, and still I didn't move. Peter was dead; that's all I could think about.

"Madison… I've been waiting for you…" the gardener breathed into my ear as he closed his hands around my throat. I swallowed a gulp of air as I battled the tears hidden behind my eyes. "All night I've imagined killing you; unfortunately that boy there stood in my way. Seems that he cared a mite too much for you for his own good though," he chuckled roughly, "You want to know what he told me?" At this he leaned in closer, "He told me that he loved you…"

I caught my breath as his hands tightened.

"Peter… _loved_… me…?" I choked out of my strangled throat.

I wasn't exactly sure what happened after that, but suddenly the gardener lost his balance and took a shaky step back as my hands pushed him away, and as he did he grabbed a corner of my jacket. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion as his foot slipped and he tumbled backwards, bringing me with him. I tried to open my mouth and scream, but nothing would come out. Somehow as we were sliding down towards the edge of the roof, my hand caught a sturdy tile and it held me in place as the groundskeeper lost his grip.

I stared down at him as he fell, his arms thrashing around in the heavy rain. Then he hit the ground and I glanced away, wincing. My hand started to slip off of the slippery tile and I had to use what strength I had left to pull myself back up to the rooftop.

Collapsing into a sitting position, I started to laugh. I closed my eyes and lay down at the foot of one of the gargoyles on the roof, letting the rain soak me to the bone. My breathing was heavy, but there was a smile on my face. I felt an immediate release as the nightmare seemed to go away instantly.

_Peter._

All at once the thought struck me and I sat up as if I had been struck by lightning. I crawled as close as I dared to the edge of the roof, glancing down. I wasn't exactly sure what I was looking for, but I found it.

There was a grunt and then his hand was clawing at the tiles of the roof. I couldn't breathe as I stared at his hand, surely thinking that I was imagining it. And then his head struggled above the edge of the tiles and his eyes found mine.

"Hey Madison," he groaned, "How about giving me a hand?"

I just stared at him for a moment, not sure if I wanted to laugh or cry. I started to do both.

"Peter," I cried as I moved towards him, grabbing his other arm, "I-I thought that you were…"

"Dead?" he moaned as I pulled him up next to me, "Yeah, me too. Luckily though, Mr. Boddy sprung for nice gutters."

I laughed out loud, leaning weakly against him as the night finally caught up to me. In the distance I could make out the faint whine of police sirens as they made their way to us. Peter's warm arm wrapped itself around my tired shoulders and I smiled as I glanced up at him. The rain had matted his hair against his head and a few drops were caught in his eyelashes as he stared down at me.

And then we kissed.

It happened so suddenly that I didn't even realize it was happening until it was over. I blinked quickly as Peter moved his face away from mine. We stared at each other for a moment until a smile twitched onto my face. That was permission enough for him to kiss me again, slower this time.

_Peter Plum loves me, he loves _me_. _

The thought made me smile through our wet kiss.

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**A/N:** Aww… how sweet! Was that enough fluff to lighten the mood? Review and I'll let you have the last chapter!

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	13. The Ghosts of Boddy Mansion

**Chapter Thirteen**

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**A/N:** Last chapter, are you ready? I am. I meant for this to be a quick story, not one that would take me over a year to write. But I have enjoyed it; it was fun once it got started. Remember, I don't own clue. As promised, here is unlucky chapter 13, enjoy!

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Peter pulled a drenched Madison back into the warmth of the attic. We all moved in around her, talking and asking all at once. She glanced around at us with wide eyes as if she had just woken up. And then Peter wrapped his arm around her tiny shoulder and she smiled.

"Are you alright?"

"We thought you two were dead meat out there!"

"Were you scared? Well, duh, stupid question; you aren't hurt, are you?"

"What happened?"

For a moment Peter and Madison just stared around at all of us like we were crazy. And then there was the sound of squealing tires and whining sirens and we all turned to see two police cars and an ambulance streaking down Troy road towards the mansion. The sight sobered us as we realized what major trouble we'd soon be in.

All of a sudden a thought occurred to me. I glanced down at Madison.

"Did you ever find the will?" I asked her. Her eyes widened as she turned back towards me.

"Jackson, I almost forgot!" She cried happily.

"Where did you find it? Where is it?" everyone started bursting out with questions.

Madison's face started to glow a dull red as we waited for an answer. She turned slightly away from us. Pulling the collar of her shirt away from her body where it was sticking, wet from the rain, she fumbled around in her bra, retrieving a slightly damp sheet of parchment.

As she turned back towards us, face red, we were quiet. Then Alex burst out with a laugh, and soon we all joined in. Madison smiled as she shook the paper out.

"What's it say?" David asked excitedly as we all clustered around her.

Madison carefully unfolded the will, placing it gently on top of an old steamer trunk, smoothing out the edges. It was handwritten in black ink, parts of it running from getting wet in the storm. Everyone crowded in around it, curious about what was written in it.

_My dear friends,_

_I suppose that my untimely death may come as a shock to you, seeing as how it occurred the night of our little get-together, but let me assure you that it was my intention to have you all close at hand when the time came for me to pass on. I have found that a house, no matter how big or lavish, is only as welcoming as the quality of living souls that occupy it. I suppose that by now Jonathan has begun tapping his foot against the floor in impatience, so I will get on with it._

_Let me start with my closest friend, Mrs. Blanche White. You have meant so much to me in life, and now I shall give you your reward. I have always noticed you eyeing my checkbooks and finances when I am working on them in my study. Indeed, it is you who will receive the bulk of my wealth. I leave to you the contents of a certain chest that is stored in the safe in my study. The combination is 36-24-05. Use your new-found wealth wisely, as I know you shall._

_Next, Colonel Michael Mustard. How much fun we've had. I shall never forget all those wonderful stories you always told me about big-game hunting. As for your share, I leave you with a small tract of land that I purchased on a whim. The deed will be found in the same safe as the chest. The land is up in the Rocky Mountain Range and already has a nice lodge, perfect for when you need a weekend get away._

_And now for Ms. Evelynne Scarlet. How your father and I got along; his death was quite a blow to me, but I promised him that I would take care of you for him. I leave you with my house (although after tonight you might be a little weary of it); I have also left $5,000 for your use. Know that your father was a great man and that he loved you very much._

_I suppose that Mrs. Elizabeth Peacock should be taken care of next. Mrs. Peacock, you are so absurd at times you make me smile. I've enjoyed the time we've spent together over the years, and I know what you would want out of my possessions. In the safe, there are two brief cases. They hold various jewels and jewelry, perfect for a lady of your taste. Enjoy them, and be sure to wear them often._

_And now for Peter Plum, my friend the professor. I know that you are forgetful, but for you I have left the grounds of my estate: the gardens, the zoo, and the surrounding areas. Please take care of them (and if you are lucky, perhaps Evelynne shall let you into the house, for it is so lonely at times). _

_Finally there is only Jonathan Green. How annoyingly persistent you have been over the years; what a brute you were to those around you! Yet you always got what you wanted. However, as I have the last say in this matter, I have decided that today you will get what you deserve. The only share you will receive of my possessions is that which any one of the other guests is willing to share with you. Let's hope someone will take pity on you, for if they don't, you shall receive nothing at all._

_And now all that I ask of all of you is to find my sister and to tell her that I love her. There is a package in the safe for her, if anyone could get it to her. Inside are our letters that we exchanged over the years, as well as a large sum of money for her and my nephew to get them by. _

_Enjoy your spoils,_

_Mr. Reginald Boddy_

As their eyes trailed to the swirly signature at the bottom, a hushed excitement came over the group. And then, with a single glance at each other, everyone burst out laughing and hugging and jumping.

"Can you guys believe it?!" David cried out, a huge smile on his face.

"The house… a house, I own a house!" Heather laughed.

"Oh, I'm so happy!" Alex cried, picking me up in a tight hug and swinging me around. All at once she stopped, her eyes large at what she had just done. I smiled at her, a modest blush creeping onto my face. Setting me back down, the group returned to silence as Alex and I stared at each other.

"Hey, Alex?" I asked, my voice almost squeaking.

"Y-Yeah?" she asked, looking more embarrassed than I had ever seen her before.

"Want to be my date for the homecoming dance?" I asked with a shrug.

Everyone burst out laughing, David even clapped me on the back heavily, as Alex laughed with a nod, giving me another hug.

* * *

Peter and I were shut in the back of the police car as they were finishing up. I exhaled, shivering as my breath hung on the dark air. Peter pulled a stray blanket over my shoulders, smiling at me nervously.

"That was one way to spend a Friday night," he smiled. I gave a sudden laugh, still shivering.

"I think I'd rather just go to the football game next week; at least there they have hot chocolate." I chattered. Peter leaned in, staring at me as he paused by my nose, before finishing his kiss on my lips. I let my shoulders relax as his hands found mine.

"Hey, cut it out back there; I have to ride back with you guys and I do _not_ want to be watching that in the rearview mirror the entire time!" David sighed as he crawled into the front seat, his voice tired from the cold.

Peter and I gave a tired laugh at him before wrapping the blanket back around ourselves, still clutching each other's hands beneath it.

* * *

As the last of the police cars faded away, a fine mist slowly gathered itself into six groups, eventually solidifying into the forms of six people. One of them, a man who once had unkempt hair and thick glasses, paused to stare at the receding tail lights longingly.

_"I wonder if she'll ever find out…" _he spoke with a voice that sounded like a strong wind through the tree tops.

_"What? That her father was adopted, and that his original last name was Green?" _finished a young-looking lady next to him, her voice much like the hushed tone of a light rain. The two found each other's hands and smiles.

_"I should hope not!" _burst out a voice with the sound of an angry, crackling fire. A man solidified in the form of a determined businessman. _"She's a disgrace to my name! Better that she never knows!"_

_"Oh, you and your temper! She's a perfectly sweet girl." _An older woman replied with the sound of chirping crickets, smelling of late summer mist. She was followed by a rather large hunter who stood particularly close to her.

_"Speak for yourself; that boy of yours is more of a coward than you ever were!"_ The businessman retorted before sulking off to the dead hedge maze where he liked to wander at times.

_"Don't listen to him; that chap of yours was quite brave there at the end!" _The hunter boomed encouragingly to the woman with a thunderclap voice.

_"Why thank you Michael," _The woman batted her eyelashes at the ghost man, _"Shall we go on a walk through the woods?" _

The hunter held out his arm for the woman, who took it at once.

_"We shall," _he replied with a smile as the two disappeared through the iron bars of the gate.

_"I'm glad they finally got this all sorted out; Maybe now they could take proper care of the estate!" _A misty maid stated, seated on a nearby tree-branch. Her sharp voice held the texture of owl wings in it. The couple on the ground turned to look up at her in annoyance.

_"Is that all you've been worried about this whole time?" _The girl asked, her rainy voice sounding like silk.

_"What else would she worry about? It's not as if she had any other things in life to look after." _The young professor smiled at the young lady. The two laughed, an eerie sound with their voices together, as the maid sniffed, turning her head upward. She had soon enough faded away, leaving the two alone.

_"Now, where were we?" _The man asked, an evil grin on his face.

_"Oh Peter, must you always do that to me? You know perfectly well that I can hardly stand it when you look at me like that!" _the girl giggled as the young man leaned over to plant a kiss on her cheek.

The two faded from view before their lips ever touched.

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**A/N:** Yea! I'm Done! And Happy Halloween to everyone! I was trying hard to get this finished before Friday, if only to give everyone a chance to finish this spooky story. You have to admit, it's pretty halloweenish. Anyways, please review! Also, look for one last one-shot that I'll try posting shortly based on this story. Thanks for reading and happy Halloween again! (p.s. did you know that my last name is treat? As in trick-or-treat? Ha ha!).

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